Boston Renaissance Charter Public School

Last updated
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School
Address
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School
1415 Hyde Park Avenue

Hyde Park
,
Massachusetts

United States
Coordinates 42°15′02″N71°07′37″W / 42.2505°N 71.1270°W / 42.2505; -71.1270
Information
Type Charter
Established1995
GradesK-6 (formerly K–8)
Website www.bostonrenaissance.org

Boston Renaissance Charter Public School (BRCPS), formerly Boston Renaissance Charter School (BRCS), is a charter elementary school in Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest charter schools in Boston, and as of 2012 BRCPS was also one of the largest charter schools in the city. [1] In 2001 it was the largest American charter school that operated out of a single campus, [2] and in 2005 it was the largest charter school in the state of Massachusetts. [3] Overall it was one of the largest charter schools in the United States. [4] It formerly served middle school grades but now only serves elementary school.

Contents

History

The school first opened in 1995; [3] the State of Massachusetts allowed the formation of charter schools in 1993. [5] It was co-founded by several area figures, including the former Horace Mann Foundation executive director, Dr. Robert Gaudet. [6] Its initial location was in Downtown Boston. Edison Schools (now EdisonLearning) operated the school by contract. [3] In its first year it had 637 students in elementary grades. [2] The school administration hoped to have the student body increase up to 1,265 students. Edison Schools hoped to establish a model school so that it could repeat this model in other parts of the U.S. The school administration envisioned that the school would cover grades Kindergarten through 12. [7]

In its first year of operation, the school did not receive special education records for students transferring from Boston Public Schools (BPS) campuses until several months into the year as the school district was late in transferring them. [8] In 1997 a group of teachers accused the school of trying to discourage special needs students from enrolling. [9] Edison Schools stated that special needs students were not being discouraged from enrolling, [10] and that excluding special needs students went against Edison policies. [11] Around 1997 some parents of special education children intentionally did not state their children's statuses so that the kids would not have stigma attached to them. The parents of a child complained to the Massachusetts Advocacy Center stating that they were not notified that their disabled child was transferred out of a classroom; the school administration had resolved the scenario by allowing his school day to be finished at 12 noon. The Office for Civil Rights of the federal government examined the situation and, in 1997, placed the school's special education program under federal government oversight. Chester E. Finn Jr., Bruno V. Manno, and Gregg Vanourek, the authors of Charter Schools in Action: Renewing Public Education, argued that this was a "troublesome precedent". [8]

A summer 1998 article from the think tank magazine City Journal praised the school. The article praised the school's school day length, merit pay, and teacher accountability systems. [12] By 1998 the student population was 1,080, and there were 2,000 families with children on a waiting list. [13]

On July 1, 1998, Roger Harris, formerly principal of Timilty Middle School in Roxbury, became the BRCPS principal. [14]

In 2000 the school signed another five-year contract with Edison. [3] However the school cancelled this arrangement in 2002. The school administration and the company stated that the decline in test scores was not the reason for the termination of the relationship. [10]

By 2005 the school had grades K-8 and had 1,300 students. [3]

It moved into its current Hyde Park location in 2010. [15] The move was mandated by the conditions of the State of Massachusetts' academic probation against the school. [1]

Operations

In 1996 the school had a strong emphasis on student discipline. As of that year the school has individualized "learning assessments" for each student and places less emphasis on letter grades. The school issued computers to students for homework purposes. [16]

In 1996 most students wore optional school uniforms. [16] As of 2017 the uniform is mandatory for students, and consists of polo shirts with the school logo, navy bottoms, and school-branded sweat suits. [17]

As of 1998 the school has longer school years and school days than most area schools, meeting 200 days per year. [13] As of 1998 this was about 30 days more than the Boston Public Schools (BPS) academic calendar. [11] Each instructional day lasted about eight hours per day, [13] which as of 1996 was one and one half hours longer than the instructional days of most area schools. [16]

As of 1998 it received a per-pupil amount of money from the Boston city government, but could not spend it on its physical plant; this amount was the same as that given to BPS schools. [14]

Student body

As of 2015 the school had about 915 students: 65% were black, 30% were Hispanic or Latino, 2% each were multiracial and White, and 1% were Asian. 82% of the students were low income. As of that year it was the largest public elementary school in Boston. [15]

In 1996, [16] and in 2005, over 50% of the students were on a free or reduced lunch programs. [3] The student body was majority-minority in 1996. [16] In 1998, 1% of the students were classified as having severe disabilities and 12% of the students were classified as special education; these percentages were below the Boston citywide averages. [18]

Campus

Its 41 classroom facility is a former factory in Hyde Park; it was renovated and expanded by Suffolk Construction Co. in 2009 and 2010. The building includes a gymnasium, a dance studio, a playground, a combination auditorium and cafeteria, and additional athletic facilities. [15]

Its initial location was a 15-story, [6] office building, [3] within the Park Square area of Downtown Boston. This building was previously owned by the University of Massachusetts Boston. [1] At the time of the school's establishment the building was unoccupied. The State of Massachusetts helped Boston Renaissance get a $12 million loan so the building could get necessary repairs. When the school was in operation the state government charged the school a rent rate that was below the area market value. [7] In 1996 the school used around twelve floors in the building. [16] It did not have an auditorium, a cafeteria, nor a gymnasium. [14]

Curriculum

Upon its establishment, the school's intended specialties were foreign languages and computer skills. [7]

In 2001 the school employed 14 teachers who specialized in physical education, Spanish, and various visual and performing arts. Tess Mullen of the Harvard Political Review stated that the school's arts curriculum was "strong". [2]

In 2009 the school began a Chinese culture and language program at the Kindergarten 1 level, [19] with 88 students initially partaking in the program. [20] Expansion was to occur by one grade level each year. [19] The program was implemented schoolwide by 2015. [21]

Academic performance

In 2001 the school's Massachusetts state achievement test scores were under the statewide average. In the following year, about 73% of the students passed the state English test and 31% of the students passed the state mathematics test. [9]

In 2007 the State of Massachusetts placed the school on academic probation; it asked the school to move to a new campus and to, by 2009, reduce the number of students to 880; at the time it had 1,240 students. In 2009 61% of the students were classified as proficient or higher in the English portion of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test, and 54% were classified as proficient or higher in MCAS mathematics test. The probation ended in December 2010. In the Spring of 2012, 53% of the school's students scored proficient of higher in the MCAS English test, and 36% scored proficient or higher in the MCAS mathematics test. In 2013 the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 7 to 1 to place the school on academic probation, meaning that the school must improve in a two-year period. [1]

Boston Renaissance Charter Public School: Mission, Programs, and Services for Student Development

The Boston Renaissance Charter Public School (BRCPS) emphasizes fostering academic, social, and emotional growth in students while promoting their development as responsible and confident individuals. The school’s mission revolves around nurturing character, citizenship, and confidence, alongside academic skills. A core aspect of their educational approach is the focus on "whole-child education," which integrates various services and programs to meet the needs of each student, including special education and English Language Education [22]

BRCPS also provides various enrichment activities, including arts and specialty classes, to support a well-rounded education. The school encourages family involvement through resources such as mental health support and comprehensive student services. You can learn more about the school’s offerings by exploring their website [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secondary education in the United States</span> Last six years of statutory formal education before higher level education

Secondary education is the last six or seven years of statutory formal education in the United States. It culminates with twelfth grade. Whether it begins with sixth grade or seventh grade varies by state and sometimes by school district.

Apponequet Regional High School, located at 100 Howland Road in Lakeville, Massachusetts opened September 21, 1959. Apponequet serves secondary academic education students from the towns of Freetown, and Lakeville. It is the only high school within the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Hill Academy Charter School</span> School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School (PHA) is college preparatory charter public school serving grades PreK - 12 in Somerville, Massachusetts and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1996.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment system, commonly abbreviated as MCAS, is Massachusetts's statewide standards-based assessment program developed in 1993 in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of the same year. State and federal law mandates that all students who are enrolled in the tested grades and who are educated with Massachusetts public funds participate in MCAS testing.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allowed the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country was performing academically according to results on standardized tests. As defined by National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), AYP was "the amount of annual achievement growth to be expected by students in a particular school, district, or state in the U.S. federal accountability system, No Child Left Behind (NCLB)." AYP has been identified as one of the sources of controversy surrounding George W. Bush administration's Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Private schools were not required to make AYP.

The New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) was a standardized test given to all New Jersey public-schooled students in grades 3-8 during (usually) March, April, or May, and was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education.

The Minnesota Graduation Standards, also known as the Profile of Learning and the Minnesota Academic Standards, created in 1998, were intended to raise standards of education for Minnesota high school students. The Minnesota Graduation Standards were developed to ensure minimum competence in survival skills for all Minnesota graduates from high school. The standards included two parts: the Minnesota Statewide Assessments and the Minnesota Academic Standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Public Schools</span> Public school system of Boston

Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts.

Education in Missouri is provided by both public and private schools, colleges, and universities, and a variety of public library systems. All public education in the state is governed by the Missouri State Board of Education, which is made up of eight citizens appointed by the Governor of Missouri and confirmed by the Missouri Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School</span> Charter school in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School is a K–12 school located at 10 New Bond St., Worcester, Massachusetts, United States in former Heald Machine Company buildings. The school was founded in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provincetown Public Schools</span> School district in Massachusetts, United States

Provincetown Public Schools, also known as Provincetown School District, or Provincetown IB Schools, is the school district of Provincetown, Massachusetts, serving grades Kindergarten through 8.

Medford Public Schools is a school district located in Medford, Massachusetts. The district has 9 schools in the city serving grades K-12. It is led by Superintendent Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent. The main office is located at 489 Winthrop Street, within the High School/Vocational-Technical High School building.

Groton-Dunstable Regional School District is a school district in the US state of Massachusetts which serves the towns of Groton and Dunstable.

Charter schools operate with considerably more independence than traditional public schools. However, Massachusetts has two kinds of charter schools - Commonwealth Charters and Horace Mann Charters. Horace Mann charter schools differ from Commonwealth charter schools as they must be located within a school district. Both kinds of charter schools are free to structure their curriculum and school environment; for instance, many charter schools fit more instructional hours into a year by running longer school days and providing instruction on weekends and during the summer. Because few charter schools are unionized, they can hire and fire teachers and administrative staff without regard to the collectively bargained seniority and tenure provisions that constrain such decisions in most public schools. Although charter students made up only 2.9 percent of U.S. public school enrollment in 2008–2009, charter enrollment has grown rapidly and seems likely to accelerate in the near future. The growth of charter schools is an important component of the contemporary education reform movement's pursuit of accountability and flexibility in public education. Proponents see charter schools' freedom from regulation as a source of educational innovation, with the added benefit of providing a source of competition that may prompt innovation and improvement in the rest of the public system. At the same time, charter schools are controversial because, after a transition period in which the state provides subsidies, they receive a tuition payment for each enrolled student paid by students' home districts. In Massachusetts, tuition payments are determined largely by the average per-pupil expenditure in sending districts. Not surprisingly, therefore, public school districts are concerned about the revenue lost when their students enroll in charter schools.

Medfield High School is a 9–12 public high school in Medfield, Massachusetts, part of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is one of five public schools in the school system, and the only public high school in Medfield.

Wilbur Elementary School is a former elementary school located in Somerset, Massachusetts, United States. The school included kindergarten through fifth grade. It was involved with a state test scam which resulted in the invalidation of 74 test scores. In June 2014, the school closed permanently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westborough High School (Massachusetts)</span> Secondary school in the United States

Westborough High School is a public high school in Westborough, Massachusetts, United States that serves as the high school for the Westborough Public School District. The school's mascot is the Ranger and the school colors are cardinal and navy blue. In the 2022–23 school year, WHS had an enrollment of 1178 students. The school is located in the downtown Westborough area at 90 West Main Street.

Founded in 2002, TechBoston Academy (TBA) is a pilot school located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States that offers a college preparatory curriculum to students in grades 6–12. TBA immerses its 1,050 students to a wide span of technological resources such as laptops, Smartboards, PDAs, digital cameras, Google Apps for Education, and podcasting. TBA offers advanced courses that utilize this technology and cover topics such as digital art, Adobe graphic design applications, computer programming, and E-commerce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence High School (Massachusetts)</span> Public high school in Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States


Lawrence High School is a public secondary school located in Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Lawrence Public Schools. Its campus consists of several buildings and was completed in 2005.

The Graham and Parks School is a public elementary school in Cambridge, MA. Founded in 1981, the school was originally conceived as an "alternative school" aligned with the progressive education movement. It historically emphasized project-based learning, teacher-led curriculum development, and parent involvement in all aspects of school operation. Since the early 2000s, state curriculum guidelines and local policy changes have diminished these aspects of the school's identity, bringing it in line with city and state standards. The school is named for Rosa Parks and Saundra Graham, a welfare and housing advocate from Cambridge.

References

Reference notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Andersen, Travis (2013-02-26). "Renaissance Charter School on probation". The Boston Globe . Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  2. 1 2 3 Mullen, p. 36.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Saltman, Kenneth J. The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education. Routledge, March 2, 2005. ISBN   113593004X, 9781135930042. p. 71.
  4. ↑ Clarke, Susan E. Multiethnic Moments: The Politics of Urban Education Reform. Temple University Press, 2006. ISBN   1592135382, 9781592135387. p. 72.
  5. ↑ Saltman, Kenneth J. The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education. Routledge, March 2, 2005. ISBN   113593004X, 9781135930042. p. 72.
  6. 1 2 "History." Boston Renaissance Charter Public School. Retrieved on April 20, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Clarke, Susan E. Multiethnic Moments: The Politics of Urban Education Reform. Temple University Press, 2006. ISBN   1592135382, 9781592135387. p. 73.
  8. 1 2 Finn, Chester E. Jr., Bruno V. Manno, and Gregg Vanourek. Charter Schools in Action: Renewing Public Education. Princeton University Press, July 30, 2001. ISBN   1400823412, 9781400823413. p 184.
  9. 1 2 Saltman, Kenneth J. The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education. Routledge, March 2, 2005. ISBN   113593004X, 9781135930042. p. 76.
  10. 1 2 Saltman, Kenneth J. The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education. Routledge, March 2, 2005. ISBN   113593004X, 9781135930042. p. 77.
  11. 1 2 Farber, Peggy (July–August 1998). "Boston: Renaissance Charter School". The American Prospect . Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  12. ↑ Stern, Sol; Bruno Manno (Summer 1998). "A School Reform Whose Time Has Come". City Journal . Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  13. 1 2 3 Marcus, Jon (1998-06-17). "Going private - the US experience". The Independent . Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  14. 1 2 3 Cohen, Muriel. "Roger Harris Eager for Challenge of Renaissance Job." The Boston Globe, May 31, 1998, City Weekly, p. 1. View at Highbeam Research.
  15. 1 2 3 "New - About Archived 2016-02-05 at the Wayback Machine ." Boston Renaissance Charter Public School. Retrieved on April 20, 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sanchez, Rene (1996-12-10). "FOR-PROFIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHOW HOPE AFTER FIRST YEAR". The Washington Post . Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  17. ↑ "Student Life Archived 2016-02-03 at the Wayback Machine ." Boston Renaissance Charter Public School. Retrieved on April 22, 2017.
  18. ↑ Saltman, Kenneth J. The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education. Routledge, March 2, 2005. ISBN   113593004X, 9781135930042. p. 76-77.
  19. 1 2 Xu, Jinhui, p. 6 (PDF p. 22/274).
  20. ↑ Xu, Jinhui, p. 6-7 (PDF p. 22-23/274).
  21. ↑ Xu, Jinhui, p. 7 (PDF p. 23/274).
  22. 1 2 "Home". Boston Renaissance Charter Public School. Retrieved 2024-12-13.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.