Community Roots Charter School is a rigorous learning community where education is embedded in meaningful real-world contexts and children are deliberately taught to see the connections between school and the world. Community Roots students will meet or exceed the Common Core standards and be prepared to excel in the 21st century by becoming independent thinkers and working productively within a diverse group of learners. At Community Roots, students learn to combine curiosity with appropriate application, which leads to deep understanding and the confidence to become who they want to be.
Approaching Our Work with Love
Along with our CRCS core values, we see social justice as a cornerstone of our educational community, where honoring one another becomes a key element of academic success. Most importantly, we believe that all of this work is only possible and meaningful if it is approached with love:
The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. That action is the testimony of love as the practice of freedom. – Bell Hooks, Outlaw Culture
Core Values
Community Roots Six Core Values are:
- Work hard
- Work together
- Honor yourself and others
- Try new things
- Help each other
- Be reflective
The core values provide the foundation of our culture and provide a common language for students and staff to discuss CRCS behavior expectations. Families are provided with a Family Handbook that details the core values and expectations associated with them. Teachers use the core values to model responsible community membership through their relationships with colleagues, students and community members.
All CRCS teachers reference the CRCS core values in every day instruction. With CRCS’ focus on project-based work and group work, students receive frequent opportunities to practice the core values in action. In addition, every fall the CRCS elementary school conducts a structured schoolwide series of units about each core value. Each core value is highlighted in a two-week unit that includes activities, read-alouds, and discussions. Each unit includes an opportunity for buddy classes to learn together (kindergarten is paired with 3rd grade, 1st with 4th, and 2nd with 5th). Our Core Values are also integrated into the work of our Vertical Teams.
Commitment to Anti-Bias Approach
CRCS is established as a leader in the field of anti-bias and social justice education. CRCS applies an anti-bias approach throughout our program to create and sustain an environment where a diverse student population can thrive. The anti-bias approach centers identity, representation, critical literacy and social justice in our curriculum and our professional development. CRCS strives to be a space where all staff, students, and families feel supported, empowered and fully engaged.
Along with our CRCS core values, we see social justice as a cornerstone of our educational community, where honoring one another becomes a key element of academic success. Most importantly, we believe that all of this work is only possible and meaningful if it is approached with love.
“Anti-bias education incorporates the philosophy of multicultural education while expanding to include other forms of bias, stereotypes and misinformation. Anti-bias education not only addresses race and ethnicity but also includes gender, language, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities and economic class. Anti-bias education takes an active, problem solving approach that is integrated into all aspects of an existing curriculum and a school’s environment. An anti-bias curriculum promotes an understanding of social problems and provides students with strategies for improving social conditions.” [The Anti-Defamation League]
Emphasis on Restorative Practices
CRCS follows a restorative approach to discipline. This approach emphasizes building positive relationships among members of the community. These relationships are then used as the foundation of communication when conflict arises. Restorative Practices provide structured opportunities for community members to communicate their feelings, while hearing from others who have been impacted by their actions. Repair is taught and practiced as part of conflict resolution.
Social-Emotional Support
CRCS is a safe environment where students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally. We work to maintain an inclusive learning environment that supports students’ social and emotional growth through several strategies: a focus on our core values, an anti-bias approach, and middle school crew. In addition, our Integrated Studies and Humanities units are designed to provide students with the skills and perspectives necessary to become fully engaged members of their communities.
A Diverse by Design, Inclusive School Model
Since its founding in 2006, Community Roots Charter School (CRCS) has been committed to creating a learning environment which is diverse and inclusive. By offering students the opportunity to learn and grow side by side with peers from varied backgrounds and abilities, deep friendships develop across lines of difference. Using research and an understanding of our own community, we have developed a comprehensive approach to teaching students how people’s experiences and interactions are shaped by their identity.
CRCS is a nurturing environment where students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally. We maintain an inclusive learning environment that supports students’ social and emotional growth through a focus on our core values, building relationships and cultivating a strong community. In addition, our Integrated Studies and Humanities units are designed to provide students with the skills and perspectives necessary to become fully engaged members of their communities.
Community Roots is located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. As a means of safeguarding the socio-economic diversity of the school in a neighborhood with constantly shifting demographics and intense demand for quality elementary education, the school’s admissions lottery was weighted to ensure that at least 40% of incoming Kindergartners are from the Ingersoll Houses, Walt Whitman Houses, and Farragut Houses, public housing directly surrounding the school building.