From the Boston Globe, August 29, 2011
This morning, nearly 500 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders are slated to arrive at UP Academy in South Boston, with high stakes for the private company as it sets out to dramatically boost the students’ achievement.
Share Article Friday, October 7, 2011 at 12:00PM The Boston Globe recently profiled two new North Shore charters in Chelsea and Salem. Excel Academy Charter School-Chelsea is part of the new Excel Academy network and Salem Community Charter School is a new Horace Mann charter.
Share Article Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 07:38PM 
A new charter public school has opened its doors in Boston with a unique focus - immigrant families. MATCH Community Day Charter Public School recently welcomed 100 pre-K and 2nd grade students from across the city - 80% of whom come from families whose native language is not English.
The Governor and the Mayor have challenged charters to attract and retain more English Language Learners. This school was established specifically to do that and it represents a unique collaboration between two highly successful charters - MATCH in Boston and Community Day in Lawrence. Both of these schools have consistently ranked among the highest academic performers in the state since they open 15 years ago. They are now coming together to focus their efforts on kids who come from the most challenging population in the city. MATCH Community Day is one of the first charters in the country to specifically focus their efforts on English Language Learners. In addition to a longer school day and year, students will have their own personal tutor two hours a day. The school's mission is to ensure that they excel in reading and writing in English so they can have the foundation necessary to achieve academically.
School leaders focused their recruitment efforts in city neighborhoods with large populations of recent immigrants, printed materials in multiple languages, and networked through community groups and social service groups to reach families who might otherwise not be aware of their educational choices. Although charter enrollment is determined by random lottery, the recruitment effort led to lottery participation by a high percentage of families whose native language is not English.
Once the school is fully enrolled, it will serve 700 children in Grades K1-12.
Share Article Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 05:21PM September 17, 2011|By Lawrence Harmon, Globe Columnist
CHARTER SCHOOLS removed the crust of complacency from public education. Doors swung open to longer school days and more opportunity. Now the Boston Teachers Union must decide whether it wants to compete with these independent schools or continue losing students to them.
A new report by the nonprofit Boston Municipal Research Bureau offers a no-nonsense look at the future financial and enrollment impact of charter schools in Boston. It’s not just another in a line of dueling studies on whether charter schools outshine their district counterparts. Instead, it’s a by-the-numbers analysis showing that charter school enrollment is likely to hit the 8,000-student mark in Boston by 2015, up from about 5,000 today. And if Boston school officials think they have headaches now trying to close or consolidate schools due to empty seats, just wait for the next group of charter schools to open.
Share Article Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 05:30PM Scot Lehigh, Globe Columnist
September 28, 2011
THE STORYLINE from the latest MCAS results is disappointing: Overall, our schools are only making slow progress narrowing the gap between low-income and middle-class kids.
But the charter school folks have reason to be happy. Once again, some terrific charters have had some eye-catching success at boosting their students to proficient or above on the statewide test.
Share Article Monday, October 3, 2011 at 02:57PM