| | Dear Friends, Today marks the first day of National Charter Schools Week – an annual week to honor the 8,000 charter public schools, 251,000 dedicated teachers, and hundreds of lawmakers who serve and advocate for our scholars each day. In partnership with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the charter public school community nationwide, this week-long celebration encourages everyone to raise their voice for high-quality public education options for all children.
Nationwide, nearly 4 million scholars, over 7% of public school students, attend charter public schools that are free and open to all learners. Here in Massachusetts, 70 charter public schools deliver on the promise of high-quality public education each and every day to 46,000 scholars.
The theme of this year’s National Charter Schools Week is Raise Your Voice. Throughout this week, we call upon you – charter public school students, families, educators, alumni, and other supporters all across the Commonwealth, and in fact, across the nation – to lift up your voices and your stories. A movement is strongest and loudest and most impactful when a chorus of distinct voices comes together as one. |
| | This week, together, we work to protect and promote innovation in classrooms across America. We share our stories to demonstrate that every child can achieve at the highest level when given access to a high-quality public education. We raise our voices because every parent deserves the right to decide which public school can best meet the unique needs of their child and enable them to fulfill their unique potential.
Please take 5 minutes now to share how your charter public school has transformed your life, your child’s life, or your community. You are welcome to share a video message, a written message, and/or a photo.
Be sure to follow along on our social media channels this week as well, where we’ll be sharing powerful testimonials and more throughout the week.
While raising our voices is something we do year-round to show support for our schools, this week, in celebration of National Charter Schools Week, let us be louder, stronger, and better together. When we raise our voices as a chorus, in unison, we can together raise the bar in public education.
Raising my voice,  Tim Nicolette
Executive Director, Massachusetts Charter Public School Association |
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|  | "As a parent of two children attending charter public schools —one attending Bridge Boston Charter School and the other attending Roxbury Prep Upper Campus, I have had the opportunity to observe and experience the distinct characteristics of a charter education.
One aspect that stands out to me is the genuine enthusiasm displayed by educators. They ensure that students not only learn but also thrive academically, and are diligent in holding students accountable for their work, fostering a sense of responsibility and academic integrity.
I believe that both charter and district public schools play vital roles in our public education system. However, the distinctive characteristics of charter schools have resonated with me as a parent seeking the best educational environment for my children.” - Parent,
Bridge Boston Charter School & Roxbury Prep |
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| | MCPSA Spotlight: Raise Your Voice for
National Charter Schools Week |
| Share how your charter public school is making a difference for you, your child, or your community. Anyone can submit, including educators, families, students, and alumni.
Want to share your powerful story? Take 5 minutes to do the following: - Visit the Padlet.
- Hit the yellow plus button to add your testimonial.
- You can submit a written response with a photo, or you can take it a step further and share a video clip.
- Give your submission a header.
- Include your name and school, or keep it anonymous.
- When you’ve finished writing your submission, press the submit button.
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| | | | | | Science teachers, math teachers, history teachers — we’re all reading teachers now, Chalkbeat
Featuring Springfield Prep “Challenging” doesn’t even begin to describe the circumstances teachers were confronted with coming out of remote learning. Our school’s approach to reading instruction may not be perfect, but we are trying with everything we have to help our kids get back on track. The resilience and creativity of educators, students, and school leaders nationwide make recovery possible. It makes me proud to be a science teacher who teaches reading, too. |
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| Charter School to Offer Portuguese Classes, Vineyard Gazette
Featuring Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School “The confidence the [Brazilian] students are showing, and also, the students who are not familiar with Brazilian Portuguese, they’re like, now I can talk to my friends [in their first language] and to the community at the local grocery store,” Pete Steedman, director of the school said. “They can be real leaders in the classroom.” With the prominent Portuguese-speaking community on the Island, the class is another step in bringing communities closer together. |
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