Family & Community Alternative Learning
Charter Schools Best Practices

The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 allowed for the creation of Commonwealth and Horace Mann charter schools: new kinds of public schools, operating under five-year charters granted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and directly overseen by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE). In part, charter schools were established to "stimulate the development of innovative programs within public education" and to provide "models for replication in other public schools."

This online database provides the means to search by charter school, topic, and keyword for information about the innovative best practices shared by charter schools and district partners. Each profile provides summary information about the practice or activity, web-based and other resources to support implementation, and contact information.

We also encourage you to read the Best Practices and Dissemination Activity Guide featuring several of these practices. We hope that showcasing these practices and partnerships can further the important dialogue that is necessary between educators in all types of public schools to support achievement at the highest levels for all students in the Commonwealth.

Charter Schools: Select Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School Atlantis Charter School Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School Boston Collegiate Charter School Boston Preparatory Charter Public School City On A Hill Charter Public School Codman Academy Charter Public School Community Day Charter Public School Conservatory Lab Charter School Edward Brooke Charter School Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School Hill View Montessori Charter Public School Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School Marstons Mills East HM Charter Public School Martha's Vineyard Charter School MATCH Charter Public High School North Central Charter Essential School Prospect Hill Academy Charter School River Valley Charter School Roxbury Preparatory Charter School Sturgis Charter Public School Topics: Select Annual reporting requirements At-risk Learners Board oversight and governance practices Budgeting and long range fiscal planning strategies Certification of urban teachers Community involvement Developing, refining, and documenting curricula Fiscal policies and procedures Instructional Practices Internal and/or external student assessment systems Organizational Capacity Practices in Instructional Leadership Reform agendas: From Theory to Practice School compliance School Culture and Classroom Management Practices School Mission School-wide or individual professional development programs Special Education Students and At-Risk Learners Special education students and English language learners Teacher Performance Evaluation Using school-wide and individual student assessment data to inform curriculum and instruction Keyword:

Charter School Best Practice Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School Building Character and Achieving Academic Success Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School Creating Positive School Culture through Character Education Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School Supporting Students to Reach High Standards Atlantis Charter School Whale of a Mystery Science Curriculum Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics: A School-wide Approach Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School Content-Area Professional Development: Science Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School Facing Restructuring: How a Strong School Faced Failure Boston Preparatory Charter Public School Using Data to Drive Instruction Boston Preparatory Charter Public School A School-Wide Approach to Behavior Management: The Demerit Database City On A Hill Charter Public School Implementing a Mission-Driven Program City On A Hill Charter Public School Training Urban Teachers Codman Academy Charter Public School Teaching Literacy through Shakespeare Community Day Charter Public School Using Data to Drive Instruction Community Day Charter Public School Meeting the Needs of Students, Families, and the Community Community Day Charter Public School Using Community Resources to Enhance the Teaching of History Community Day Charter Public School Online Professional Development Program Community Day Charter Public School Replicating the School Model Conservatory Lab Charter School Making Learning Visible Conservatory Lab Charter School Music Education Edward Brooke Charter School Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics: A School-wide Approach Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School Ten Common Principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools Hill View Montessori Charter Public School Charter School and District Collaboration Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School Assessments that Matter for At-Risk Students Marstons Mills East HM Charter Public School Becoming a Horace Mann Charter Public School Martha's Vineyard Charter School Differentiation within the Classroom MATCH Charter Public High School MATCH Corps Program: Intensive High School Math Tutoring MATCH Charter Public High School MATCH Corps Program: Courage, Discipline, and Perseverance MATCH Charter Public High School MATCH Corps Program: The “No Excuses” High School Tutor - Tutoring Teenagers In High-Poverty Schools North Central Charter Essential School Inquiry-based Science Instruction Prospect Hill Academy Charter School Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics: A School-wide Approach River Valley Charter School Montessori Made Public Roxbury Preparatory Charter School Raising Student Achievement School-wide Roxbury Preparatory Charter School Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics: A School-wide Approach Sturgis Charter Public School International Baccalaureate Program Sturgis Charter Public School Best Practices in School Governance Boston Collegiate Charter School Key Design Elements of a Successful College Prep Program