Six Dimensional Comparative Analysis For the remainder of this paper, the focus will be on the Downtown Middle School North Star Academy in Newark and the Riverside Elementary School in Princeton. For comparison purposes, I will describe and analyze these schools from six different dimensions including educational philosophy, climate and dispositions, content, delivery, assessment and evaluation, and family and community involvement.
Educational Philosophy
Similar to other charter schools within the Uncommon Schools network, the main purpose of the Downtown Middle School North Star Academy is to prepare students to enter college and successfully complete a bachelor’s degree. In order to reinforce this goal, every single classroom is named after a specific college—the one I observed was “UCLA”. Furthermore, North Star schools believe that children learn best in a highly structured system, and therefore teachers are experts at effective classroom management and allow minimal interruptions. For example, there is a nonverbal system that students use to communicate things that are not related to the lesson. Some of their seat signals include showing a hand up, with two fingers crossed to ask permission to go to the bathroom, or holding a pencil up for …show more content…
Parents need to sign it and send it back to school. Events for parents include Parent University (for incoming 5th-grade parents), Back to School Nights, Awards Nights and New Student Orientation. Moreover, at the beginning of the school year, all parents agree to 1.5 to 2 hours of homework each night, including weekends, and sign the Parent/School Covenant where they pledge their support for and involvement in their children’s education. There is also a Parent Council. I could not find any specific involvement at a community
Educational Philosophy
Similar to other charter schools within the Uncommon Schools network, the main purpose of the Downtown Middle School North Star Academy is to prepare students to enter college and successfully complete a bachelor’s degree. In order to reinforce this goal, every single classroom is named after a specific college—the one I observed was “UCLA”. Furthermore, North Star schools believe that children learn best in a highly structured system, and therefore teachers are experts at effective classroom management and allow minimal interruptions. For example, there is a nonverbal system that students use to communicate things that are not related to the lesson. Some of their seat signals include showing a hand up, with two fingers crossed to ask permission to go to the bathroom, or holding a pencil up for …show more content…
Parents need to sign it and send it back to school. Events for parents include Parent University (for incoming 5th-grade parents), Back to School Nights, Awards Nights and New Student Orientation. Moreover, at the beginning of the school year, all parents agree to 1.5 to 2 hours of homework each night, including weekends, and sign the Parent/School Covenant where they pledge their support for and involvement in their children’s education. There is also a Parent Council. I could not find any specific involvement at a community