| | Dear Friends,
I could not be more proud to share that, thanks to so many of you, this year’s MA Charter Public School Advocacy Week was a resounding success. Earlier this month, hundreds of charter public school families, educators, and supporters from across the state came together to celebrate the impact of our schools, and to advocate for every child in Massachusetts to have equitable access to the education and resources they need to succeed.
We kicked off the week by gathering 300 supporters – both virtually and in person – to celebrate the ways in which charter public schools offer an education that adds up.
Throughout the rest of the week, our community: - Sent 1,700 emails to their elected officials, reaching 88% of Massachusetts’ legislators!
- Hand delivered over 200 personalized postcards to 40 legislators at the State House.
- Flooded social media with stories of impact and success using #EdThatAddsUp.
- Shared (and re-shared) this moving video co-created by our charter public schools across the state!
And while I hope you will agree that these accomplishments are objectively worthy of celebration, you may find yourself wondering: does all of this actually make a difference?
The answer is a resounding yes. Since 2020, when we first launched our annual statewide advocacy activities, our state’s elected officials have consistently told us that hearing from their charter public school constituents has made a huge impact on their views of charter public schools as well as their willingness to support funding and policies on behalf of charter public school students.
With that in mind, if you weren’t able to join us during Advocacy Week, don’t worry! There’s still time to take action and increase our reach even further. The work of advocacy is never done. We can’t stop – and won’t stop – raising our voices on behalf of our students. |
| | Thank you once more for your support and participation. We look forward to continuing to advocate, in partnership, on behalf of our children!
Gratefully,  Tim Nicolette
Executive Director, Massachusetts Charter Public School Association |
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|  | “I am a proud parent of an 8th grade student at Alma del Mar Charter School. I cannot express enough what a gift our charter school has been to our family. She has become a different child since joining Alma del Mar, all thanks to the amazing teachers who have taken the time to understand her.” — Ruth Rivera, Parent,
Alma del Mar Charter School |
| "One impact Salem Academy Charter has had on my life is that it's preparing me for college. This was something I didn't believe I could accomplish. Thanks to Salem Academy, I'm going to be the first person in my family to attend college." - Emanuel Rivera, Student,
Salem Academy Charter School |
| "I would like to let you know what a big impact this school has had on my son’s life. My son is very outgoing with an amazing personality and has always been very intelligent, but with the structure this school has in place, he has been able to focus and learn tremendously. He has worked really hard in his learning, and the teachers at Springfield Prep have been more than supportive of him. Please continue to support the supporters of our future – which are our kids!” - Jamil Asad, Parent,
Springfield Prep Charter School |
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| |  | This year’s Advocacy Week was unforgettable! We came together virtually to celebrate our community with a Kick-Off Rally. We took to email to encourage our legislators to support charter public schools. And we shared our voices and stories through postcards and a fun social media video. |
|  | | Our #EdThatAddsUp Equations |
| At our kick-off rally, and in a social media video, charter public school students, teachers, and families wrote their own equations to define the unique ways in which charter public schools offer an education that adds up. |
| | | Showing Our Charter Pride! |
| Hundreds of charter supporters penned handwritten postcards to their elected officials, letting them know why they love their charter public schools. |
| | | | ‘You need tissues at these ceremonies’, Plymouth Independent
Featuring Map Academy Charter School Tamara Cherduville wants to become a welder and maybe study business at community college. She is also the mother of Naemari, a two-year-old girl. “Besides all of that, I want to be an advocate for youth,” she says. Cherduville has been invited to share her experiences with Breaktime Boston, which helps homeless young adults, and Silver Lining Mentoring, which works with young people in foster care.“I had a lot of obstacles, and they just made sure that I got my work done,” she says of Map. “There needs to be way more schools like this.” |
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| | Charter School Students Learn Valuable Outdoor Skills During Field Trip, WBZ News Radio
Featuring Brooke Charter Schools Students from the Brooke Charter Schools in Mattapan had a unique out-of-the-classroom learning experience earlier this week at the New England Base Camp in Milton. Students took part in a survival-themed field trip geared to provide students with hands-on experience and skills to conquer the outdoors in a world that has been otherwise dominated by technology. The students have been studying and reading “Lord of the Flies,” and “The Hatchet,” books that revolve around skills to thrive, not just survive, in the wilderness. |
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