Francis W. Parker
Charter Essential School &
Sizer Teachers Center
 

Introduction

A six-year public secondary school of choice, the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School is open by lottery admissions to all residents of Massachusetts in grades seven through twelve.

One of Massachusetts’ first charter schools, Parker was started in 1995 by area parents and teachers committed to the principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools, of which it is a fully approved member.

In June 1999, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted Parker a five-year renewal of its charter as a public school reporting directly to the state Department of Education. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges elected Parker in 1999 as a “candidate member school” for accreditation. 

The Parker Student Body                       

In 2003-2004the school will enroll 356 students from 39 towns in north central Massachusetts; the socioeconomic, ethnic, and educational characteristics of the student body closely reflect the general population of the region. The class of 2000, which entered in fall 1995, was the first to graduate.

Parker students make their talents visible in regional academic, artistic, and athletic competitions. At both the middle and high school levels they have won highest honors with teams including Odyssey of the Mind, American Bar Association Mock Trial, Math Counts and Math League, and chess. Junior varsity and varsity teams compete with area schools in soccer, basketball, and baseball and softball. Student musicians perform in state and regional orchestras and have won national notice for their talent.

Parker students present and explain their school to the hundreds of visitors who come to see it each year. As well, they travel around the country to represent Parker at the Coalition’s Fall Forum and at colleges and universities studying various aspects of school reform. In the last few years, for example, Parker students have served as part of a jury for presentations on school design by graduate students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and have addressed an audience of educators at the Antioch University graduate program in Keene, New Hampshire.

On outside measures of achievement, Parker students also demonstrate high achievement, including scores on the required Massachusetts state assessments (MCAS), which they must take at grades 8 and 10. In 1998, average student MCAS scores from Parker were higher than the average scores in 22 of the 25 school districts from which Parker draws its students.

The Faculty

The Parker School has a distinguished and dedicated faculty. Of the school’s 62 teachers and professional staff, approximately two-thirds hold advanced degrees, and every year several earn their degree in a joint program with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Parker teachers work together for three weeks every summer to develop the school’s curriculum and its unique program. All teachers serve as advisers to students, nurturing their intellectual, emotional, social, and ethical development. Parker gives top priority to keeping teaching loads at a level where every student can be known very well.

For more information, please visit Parker's website: www.parker.org

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School

The Prospect Hill Academy Charter School will prepare each student for success in college, inspire a lifelong love of learning, and foster responsible citizenship.

Introduction

The Prospect Hill Academy (PHA) was founded in 1996 by a group of parents.  Their mission was to prepare each student for success in college, inspire a lifelong love of learning, and to foster responsible citizenship. 

In the early years, the school was housed in three buildings located in Somerville.  As our attendance grew, we moved the upper school (6 – 12) into a newly renovated building outside of Central Square in Cambridge.  Grades K – 5 are located in Union Square in Somerville.

Management of the school was initially contracted to a management company. However, in November 2001, the Board of Trustees agreed not to renew the management contract and has since managed the school independently. At the end of June 2002, the School concluded its sixth year of operation, offering classes from Kindergarten through 12th grade for approximately 650 students.

Our Mission

When PHA was founded in 1996, the founding community members had a common vision of providing an academically rigorous education for the children of their community. The mission they expressed then is still the school's mission today.  It is to:

• Prepare each student for success in college

• Inspire a lifelong love of learning

• Foster responsible citizenship

Our Educational Objectives

At PHA, our academic performance objectives include ensuring that students receive a well-rounded education that emphasizes mastery in all core subjects. Our performance-based educational approach ensures that each child is consistently prepared for academic advancement in those subjects. Non-academic performance objectives are designed to foster tolerance and understanding and include setting high standards for student conduct, participation in extracurricular activities, community work, and global understanding.

Our approach works. Since the first graduating class in 2001, 100% of graduating seniors have earned admissions to colleges and universities, including Boston College, Fordham, Franklin Pierce, Harvard, Northeastern, Leslie, Temple, Tufts, and University of Massachusetts.

There are many aspects of our school that contribute to our success, but three that stand out are our curriculum, our teachers, and our students.

Our Curriculum

The PHA curriculum is designed to prepare students for success in college as well as to inspire a lifelong love of learning. Using the principles of "Teaching for Understanding," our teachers incorporate the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks as they develop a unique curriculum in close collaboration with one another. Unlike most schools, the core curriculum is implemented in the full-day Kindergarten program and continues through high school.

 In addition to the core subjects, students also complete coursework in art, music, computers, and physical education. English and Spanish are required and taught daily for every student from Kindergarten through 12th grade. As seniors, students have the option of taking Advanced Placement courses for English, Spanish, biology, and history. Dual enrollment opportunities with local colleges and universities, including Harvard Extension School, further the educational opportunities available to PHA Upper School students.

Our Teachers

PHA has a devoted and accomplished faculty.  Committed to our school’s mission, our teachers are dedicated to meeting the educational needs of every child.  They hold high standards for academic achievement while also promoting the emotional, social, and ethical development of their students.  Because of our low teacher/student ratio, teachers are able to identify and accommodate a wide range of learning styles. 

Through collaboration and formal professional development, PHA teachers commit to their own and one another’s professional growth.  By developing curriculum in teams, looking together at student work, and regularly sharing instructional methods, their commitment to their own practice boosts student learning. 

Our Students

PHA's 647 students come from 33 cities and towns, mainly Somerville (49%), Medford (16%), Cambridge, (7%), Everett (6%), Malden (4%), and Boston (4%).  The remaining students come from other communities in Eastern Massachusetts.

There is an equal ratio (1:1) of boys and girls.  The student body is rich in cultural diversity with a composition of 40% African American, 35% Caucasian, 18% Hispanic, 6% Asian, and 1% American Indian/Alaskan. 

Just as we expect teachers, staff, and parents to be committed to the success of the school, we also expect students to feel ownership of their education, their school, and their community. PHA holds students accountable for their involvement in the school's Student Life program that fosters leadership development, civic involvement and life-long learning.

For more information please visit Prospect Hill Academy Charter School's web site, http://www.prospecthillacademy.org/

Murdoch
Middle School

Introduction

Murdoch Middle School is a tuition free Massachusetts, public charter school serving students in grades five through eight. The school was founded in 1996 by a group of Chelmsford residents interested in having a choice in public middle school education in the Chelmsford area. The school was renamed the Murdoch Middle Public Charter School in 1999 to honor Chelmsford educator and activist, Linn Murdoch. In the fall of 2000, the Murdoch Middle School charter was unanimously voted for renewal by the state for another 5 years. James Peyser, Chairman of the Board of Education, praised the school’s model as a source of information on creating a successful and applicable curriculum throughout the state. In August 2002, we moved into our new building located at 40 Brick Kiln Road in Chelmsford. Currently, the school serves 276 students from over 10 Massachusetts communities including Chelmsford, Lowell, Billerica, Arlington, Groton, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford and Ashby.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Murdoch Middle School is to provide students with a challenging interdisciplinary education that allows them to achieve their maximum potential through a participatory, relevant, and applied learning process.

Students at Murdoch Middle School strive to become:

Effective Communicators: Through formal public presentations and daily group work, students are called upon to be effective communicators.

Self Directed Learners: Students are encouraged to take initiative in their own learning by setting and re-visiting personal goals, seeing mistakes as opportunities to learn, and by expecting the work they are given to be challenging.

Problem Solvers: Students think systemically by using more than one approach to solve problems, testing mental models, asking relevant questions, and by making informed decisions.

Successful Members of Multiple Communities: Students work collaboratively in a variety of work groups. Students assist in the school community by leading and planning all-school meetings, assisting in the library and office, and by working to improve the greater community.

For more information please visit Murdoch's web site,
http://www.murdoch-web.org/index.htm
 

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