Community Roots Charter School

Why Community Roots Charter School was nominated

Community Roots puts emphasis on creating an inclusive learning community where both academic and social aspects of students' learning experience are fully accessible, while maintaining a standard of academic excellence for all students. , The Anti-Bias Education model targets biased attitudes before they give way to acts of bias and discrimination, through curriculum, classroom practices, and deep community building with all stakeholders. The goal is to identify and dismantle the thinking and ideology that contributes to harmful acts of oppression. The work is holistic and is integrated throughout the curriculum and environment. , Community Roots Charter School creates a learning environment that is diverse and inclusive. They employ an anti-bias education model that prioritizes issues of identity, discrimination, and social justice in our curriculum and our professional development. By prioritizing issues of identity, discrimination and social justice, the school strives to be a brave-space for differences of all kinds, where all staff, students, and families feel supported, empowered and fully engaged., Community Roots is a deliberately diverse school community that takes an explicitly anti-bias approach to curriculum, instruction, and assessment; school culture; and staff training. This approach prioritizes identity, diversity, justice, social action, and inclusion., Community Roots is a diverse by design school that strives to enroll students whose demographics mirror that of the surrounding neighborhood. Learning is hands-on and often takes place outside of the walls of the school and in the community, which supports interdisciplinary learning. There are many, many programs which enable connection: between families and the school, between older and younger students, teachers and staff, and more, making the community very tight-knit. Restorative practices ensure it remains that way.