Dear Friends,

I’m immensely proud of our charter public schools’ commitment to meeting each learner’s unique needs so that they may fulfill their unique potential. Massachusetts charter public schools are open to all students, like traditional public schools. Our students bring diverse backgrounds, experiences, strengths, and needs with them into the classroom, reflecting the communities in which they reside. 

In particular, this month, we are bringing you stories of the ways in which our schools support multilingual learners and students with special needs – students who bring both valuable assets and oftentimes complex needs to their learning journey. Notably, the proportion of multilingual learners and students with special needs attending charter public schools is comparable with statewide averages. Charter public schools across the state embrace their unique flexibility to innovate and craft approaches that ensure all children receive the individualized support and instruction they need to soar. 

Below, it is my honor to share two stories highlighting how dedicated schools and staff ensure every student is able to achieve at the highest level. I am confident that these stories will bring to life the tremendous ways in which charter public school teachers and leaders work to support our multilingual learners and students with special needs, and indeed all students, enabling them to not only succeed, but thrive.

With admiration,

Tim Nicolette
Executive Director, Massachusetts Charter Public School Association

"We should support charter public schools because students like me often don’t get many opportunities as great as this. Charter public schools give us the chance to prove the statistics wrong. Support our schools and show students like me that we aren’t done yet!”

 - Makayla, Student
New Heights Charter Public School

‘GirlBoss’ event in Springfield highlights local women in business, WWLP
Featuring Phoenix Charter Academy Springfield

“The importance is for our students, especially our female students, to see that they can lead their own paths and journeys,” said Larissa Thornton of the Phoenix Charter Academy. “Not necessarily working 9 to 5… and creating their own pathways and becoming their own bosses and their own entrepreneurs.”

Chalk Talk: When kids turn work in late: Navigating the tricky balance of deadlines and support for students, Daily Hampshire Gazette
Featuring Hampden Charter School of Science

Our struggling student’s unmet needs (i.e., time to work, a context for their learning, a well-crafted assignment) and undeveloped skills (i.e., time management, self-regulation, executive functioning) create a perfect storm for unfinished work. As teachers, our job is to help mitigate those challenges to give them a chance to finish that learning.

‘Gridiron’ wins it for Island spelling bee, MVTimes
Featuring Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School

Josephine Gautier, a sixth grader from the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School, has won the 31st annual Martha’s Vineyard Schools Spelling Bee. Josephine, all smiles on the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Performing Arts Center stage on Friday, was the last standing after nailing the word “gridiron.” Josephine will be traveling to Washington D.C. to compete against some of the best middle-school spellers in the country.