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Urban Montessori Charter School

Urban Montessori Charter School, nominated by Rogers Family Foundation, is an elementary/middle school in Oakland, California that describes itself as a public charter school serving learners from a primarily urban area.

Location Oakland, California

Governance Public charter school

Grades Prekindergarten, Elementary, Middle

Students 356

Locale Urban

Feeney Krishna

Demographics

Percentage of students*

17%

English Learners

30%

Free/Reduced Lunch

13%

Students with Disabilities

African American or Black

American Indian/Alaska Native

Asian

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Hispanic or Latino

White

2+ Races

Why Urban Montessori Charter School was nominated

Oakland's only tuition-free public Montessori school, TK-8. Multi-age classrooms, two teachers in every room, expanded learning opportunities, and an in-house Montessori training program creating a career ladder for existing staff.

Student experience design

As a Montessori School, we follow the Pedagogy of Maria Montessori. Below are 3 major tenents of the Montessori method you find in our classrooms. The Prepared Environment: - Curricular materials on shelves in sequence. - All items available are engaging and have an educational purpose - Arranged and designed for the specific age group being served. Mixed Age Groupings: - Groupings based on developmental similarities in learning. The mixed age grouping allows for students to experience a wide range of social interactions and collaborations in their work. Individual and Small Group Lessons: - Lessons using a full complement of Montessori hands-on materials that allow for a deep conceptual understanding of concepts. - At the primary level, mostly individual lessons. - In elementary years small group instruction. This applies for curricular lessons using hands-on materials, but also lessons pertaining to social-emotional learning. - This means that each student's learning is completely individualized as they take their own pathway through the curriculum.

Core Practices

Core Practices Length of Use

Anti-racist Practices

5+ years

Individual Learning Paths

5+ years

Individual Learner Profiles

5+ years

Project-based Learning

5+ years

Universal Design For Learning

5+ years

All Practices

Advancement On Mastery

Student Advisories

Assessments For Deeper Learning

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Families As Co-leaders

Teachers As Co-leaders

Co-leadership

Competency/mastery-based Education

Culturally Responsive Practices

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

Hiring For Equity And Inclusion Values

All Courses Designed For Inclusion

Interdisciplinary

Mental Health Services

1:1 Mentoring

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

Multi-age Classrooms

No Tracked Classes

Multiple Opportunities To Demonstrate Mastery

Peer To Peer Support

Performance Based Assessment

Place-based Learning

Reallocation Of Resources For Those Most In Need

Restorative Practices

SEL Integration School-wide

Social Justice Focus

Student-led Conferences

Students Access Their Own Data

Student-led Goal Setting

Self-paced Learning

Students Develop Projects

Trauma-informed Practices

key reasons for innovating

Some other factor

Date Updated: 4/1/2024

*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.