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Ready for Life 2028
BACKGROUND
The Russell Byers Charter School (RBCS) 2023 Strategic Plan is intended to create a path forward. It is intended to acknowledge our current state while moving us closer to our desired state. The mission of Russell Byers Charter School is to provide student roots, a safe, stimulating environment with rigorous academic education grounded in Expeditionary Learning. The goal is for students to take responsibility for their learning, and to become powerful communicators, creative problem solvers, and compassionate and engaged citizens. At Russell Byers, students develop wings to succeed in selective schools and embrace a love for learning. Ultimately, RBCS aspires to prepare students for life! 
The Russell Byers Charter School is a public elementary school located in Center City, Philadelphia, with over 710 students from 43 neighborhoods. RBCS offers 4K(Kindergarten for 4-year-olds) through 8th Grade, a student/teacher ratio of 25:1, and an innovative hands-on academic program. It was founded in 2001 in honor of the late Russell Byers, a beloved Philadelphia Daily News columnist.
Located in the heart of Center City, the school reflects Russell Byers’ values of academic excellence, civic responsibility, and community service. The Russell Byers Charter School is a learning community, built on the structures and principles of its educational model: EL Education (formerly known as Expeditionary Learning). In the Russell Byers community, students learn by doing. Academic goals are linked to adventure, service work, teamwork, and character development. And education becomes a partnership between student and teacher, as supported by enlightened school leadership and committed parents.
The previous Strategic Plan’s term was from 2019-2022. The recommended actions at the time of that plan were to (1) reorient the purpose of the school, (2) re-establish norms and values (4 R’s), (3) Restore the commitments to student academic and personal growth, and (4) renew the charter. A current assessment of the school’s progress toward these action areas shows room for improvement. The previous plan also provided a timeline for six (6) overall goals. Many of the timeline items were not achieved.
This plan is intended to represent the vision of the RBCS as well as outline clear strategies for execution and consistent monitoring.
Acknowledgements
Ready for Life 2028 is the result of input from both internal and external stakeholders. We heard from families, students, staff, leaders, community members, former families, and board members. An effective strategic plan is one that authentically accounts for the current realities and paves a road forward. We thank all stakeholders for giving valuable input that helped us determine where we are and where we need to go!
It is our hope that through continued partnership with all stakeholders, we can ensure that Russell Byers Charter School is a premier schooling option in Philadelphia for children in grades 4K through eighth.
Dear Russell Byers Charter School Community,
In 2019, RBCS commissioned a firm to help create a strategic plan. Through interviews, online surveys, focus groups, and multiple meetings with the school board, a plan was developed to return RBCS to its position as a leading educational entity. Over the course of the last three years, RBCS has made some significant progress but has much more room to grow.
Through a series of listening sessions, observations, surveys, and research into effective strategic planning, we are pleased to release our newest strategic plan, Ready for Life 2028. Our intention with this plan is to truly prioritize student learning.
Our north star continues to be deeply grounded in EL Education’s design principle number three: The Responsibility for Learning. At RBCS we are deeply committed to ensuring that our students take responsibility for their learning and are able to become powerful communicators, creative problem solvers, and compassionate, engaged citizens. We heard from multiple stakeholders about the need to focus on academic excellence. This plan highlights key values of both equity and academic excellence –reinforcing an even greater commitment to high expectations for all students! Ready for Life 2028 combines the current realities and opportunities our students, staff, and families are facing while allowing us to envision the best future possible.
Ready for Life 2028 encompasses 4 success areas for RBCS along with clearly outlined commitments and accountability measures. The four success areas are:
- Every student has access to high-quality, culturally responsive, and engaging learning experiences across all subject areas ~ developing roots
- Every student has access to math experiences consistent with the three key common core mathematics shifts and that allow them to develop math agency and a positive math identity
- Every professional educator has deep content knowledge in their area of appointment and will deliver effective instruction that exemplifies academic excellence
- Every student is socially and emotionally equipped to thrive in school and in life ~ developing wings
Over the next five years, as we advance this plan, we want to empathize to the community that our focus will not waver. We intended to work tirelessly to create an environment of academic excellence that is unmatched. Our goal is for RBCS to be a premiere school choice option for all families across Philadelphia.
Our greatest success are the students that come to us by way of our families and communities. As CEO and with the collective board of education, we stand united in our commitment to ensure RBCS is a premier school choice option. We invite you to stay engaged and involved. You send us your most prized possessions every day. You can count on us to nurture and support them as we prepare them to flourish now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Jessica Ramos, CEO
Early Learning: At RBCS we believe the journey of learning begins at a young age. That's why we are only one of two schools in Philadelphia to offer a two-year, full-day kindergarten program that begins with four-year-old students (4k). Getting a jumpstart on education allows our children to plant roots a full year earlier than their peers. As a result, our 4k students are socially, emotionally, and intellectually ready to move on to five-year-old kindergarten (5k) and make the most of their RBCS education.
EL Education: EL Education is an innovative teaching approach based on the guiding principles of the famed outdoor educational program, Outward Bound. EL emphasizes high achievement through hands-on learning, character growth, teamwork, and community service. Learn more about EL education…
The Whole Child: At RBCS, we don't just educate our students. We focus on creating great citizens by teaching resilience and responsibility for learning. It takes a holistic continuum of supports to build character and confidence from an early age. Our carefully chosen coursework supports student growth through a full range of activities, enriching the whole child. Thanks to our innovative model, RBCS students have the opportunity to study art, music, physical education, debate, and digital humanities.
Partnerships: RBCS takes full advantage of Philadelphia's urban resources, using the city as an extension of the classroom. Through these rich partnerships, RBCS offers exciting programs that support our student's learning experience both in the classroom and in the community. In addition to supporting our EL curriculum, these partnerships provide essential mentoring. Partnerships include Big Brothers Big Sisters, WHYY Media Lab, Walnut Street Theatre, Arden for All, and many more.
Ours for Life: We measure the true value of an RBCS education by where students go when they leave our doors. Ours for Life is a full-service college and/or career-track program that supports our students throughout their education and especially in critical transition points in their academic careers.
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RBCS Success Area 1 Every student has access to high-quality, culturally responsive, and engaging learning experiences across all subject areas |
|
| RBCS Objectives | RBCS Commits to |
|
↠ 1.1 Every student has access to high-quality learning |
Acquire a high quality (as determined by EdReports) ELA curriculum for grades 4K - 5, Evaluate the Science curriculum and reinforce or adjust as needed, maintain current Math curriculum. |
| Ensure that high quality instructional materials are in use across all content areas | |
| Design scope and sequences for all content areas that prioritize the most important work of the grade. | |
|
↠ 1.2 Every student is seen and acknowledged for their lived experiences |
Ensure that all staff receive professional learning on culturally responsive teaching practices and that those learnings are implemented with fidelity |
| Create opportunities in the curriculum for students’ lived experiences to be utilized | |
| Seeing each student as an individual with individual needs and aspirations | |
|
↠ 1.3 |
Creating attendance initiatives that support regular attendance and celebrate student engagement |
|
Connecting families with aligned resources for common reasons for student absence:
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↠ 1.4 Every student finds value in their learning experiences |
Designing student centered learning experiences as well as student centered school-based activities |
| Connecting students and families to out of school opportunities that enhance learning and overall wellbeing | |
|
RBCS Success Area 2 Every student has access to math experiences consistent with the three key common core mathematics shifts and that allow them to develop math agency and a positive math identity |
|
| RBCS Objectives | RBCS Commits to |
|
↠ 1.1
Every student is empowered through math experiences that are meaningful and engaging |
Developing a math vision that empowers students to reach their true potential |
| Maintaining a focus on real world problems that engage students with the eight mathematical practices and allow them to find meaning in the math | |
|
↠ 1.2 Every student has opportunities to develop a love for math |
Ensure that both teachers and students have a growth mindset about math ability |
| Incorporate small group math instruction into the math block to allow students to explore math concepts through multiple modalities, such as math games and puzzles | |
| ↠ 1.3 Every student develops mathematical problem-solving skills |
Emphasize open ended math problems |
| Employ a top-heavy emphasis on process over product. | |
|
RBCS Success Area 3 Every professional educator has deep content knowledge in their area of appointment and will deliver effective instruction that exemplifies academic excellence |
|
| RBCS Objectives | RBCS Commits to |
|
↠ 1.1 Every professional educator is certified in their area of appointment |
Maintaining certification plans for any non-certified staff or staff that are appointed outside of their area of certification |
| Hiring certified teachers and highly qualified staff | |
| Rostering teachers to their areas of appointment | |
|
↠ 1.2 Every professional educator maintains their professional license through ongoing professional development |
Providing high-quality professional learning experiences for all staff on an on-going basis |
| Employ a professional educator evaluation system that monitors educator performance and aligns support as appropriate | |
| ↠ 1.3 Every professional educator has high expectations and the belief that all students can succeed at a high level |
Engage all adults in a continuous series of professional learning experiences that target an equitable approach to teaching and learning
|
| Ensuring inter rater reliability amongst the administration staff regarding observations and feedback pertaining to high expectations and equitable teaching practices | |
|
↠ 1.4 Every professional educator feels valued as a member of the RBCS team |
Setting aggressive retention goals for all staff |
| Employing a differentiated retention system that centers gratitude and values staff members’ contributions | |
| Acquiring a consistent staff feedback system such as Panorama | |
|
RBCS Success Area 4 Every student is socially and emotionally equipped to thrive in school and in life |
|
| RBCS Objectives | RBCS Commits to |
|
↠ 1.1 Every student feels a sense of belonging |
Ensuring that teachers cultivate community in each classroom by utilizing CREW effectivity and consistently |
|
Celebrating each student for who they are and having unlimited expectations about who they can become |
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|
↠ 1.2 Every student learns to better understand their thoughts and emotions, becomes more self-aware, and develops more empathy for others within their community and the world around them. |
Employ a preventative/proactive classroom management system
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Engage in staffing structures that support social-emotional learning (SEL)
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| RESPECT | I have a high regard for the people and resources in the RBCS community |
| RESPONSIBILITY | I am accountable for my actions and decisions |
| REFLECTION | I consider how my actions affect the school community |
| RESILIENCE | I am dedicated to finding a way to recover through difficult situations |
In order to successfully implement Ready for Life 2028 we acknowledge that deep change must occur. That change must be both technical and adaptive. The adaptive part of the change loves deep in the instructional core as there are only three ways to improve student learning at scale: You can raise the level of the content that students are taught. You can increase the skill and knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching of that content. And you can increase the level of students’ active learning of the content. That’s it. Everything else is instrumental. That is, everything that is not in the instructional core can only affect student learning and performance by, in some way, influencing what goes on inside the core. “Everything else” that is needed is the technical side of change; our policies, procedures, attitudes and mindsets, basically the way we do school.
We as a RBCS community are committed to owning the responsibility of both the technical and adaptative changes that are needed. That commitment is crucial, but it is not enough. We need YOU to be there with us long this journey. We need to hear your feedback, positive and critical. We need you to be there for the crucial conversations that will need to occur as we shift the mindset around what’s possible for students at RBCCS. We are confident in this plan and thank you in advance for your continued partnership and support!
Common Core Math Shifts – (1) Focus strongly where the standards focus. (2) Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics within grades. (3) Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application with equal intensity.
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy - a theoretical model that focuses on multiple aspects of student achievement and supports students to uphold their cultural identities. Designed around three major pillars from Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings; Academic Excellence, Cultural Competence, and Sociopolitical Consciousness
EdReports – an independent, nonprofit organization designed to help educators identify and demand instructional materials that are effective, reliable, and aligned to high standards.
EL Education - EL Education is a national nonprofit partnering with K-12 educators to transform public schools and districts into hubs of opportunity for all students to achieve excellent equitable outcomes and release their unique genius. EL Education is guided by a vision of education equity and student potential, by a reimagined definition of student achievement, and offers research-proven resources and practices
EOY – End of year
PCCD Assessment – The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency provides Student Assistance, Behavior Health and School Climate Assessment Criteria using a tiered approach. Tier I is considered the baseline with Tiers II and III being considered as additional services that build upon and strengthen the foundations of Student Assistance, Mental and Behavioral Health, and School Climate.
PDE – Pennsylvania Department of Education
PSSA – Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
-
Dear Russell Byers Charter School Community,
In 2019, RBCS commissioned a firm to help create a strategic plan. Through interviews, online surveys, focus groups, and multiple meetings with the school board, a plan was developed to return RBCS to its position as a leading educational entity. Over the course of the last three years, RBCS has made some significant progress but has much more room to grow.
Through a series of listening sessions, observations, surveys, and research into effective strategic planning, we are pleased to release our newest strategic plan, Ready for Life 2028. Our intention with this plan is to truly prioritize student learning.
Our north star continues to be deeply grounded in EL Education’s design principle number three: The Responsibility for Learning. At RBCS we are deeply committed to ensuring that our students take responsibility for their learning and are able to become powerful communicators, creative problem solvers, and compassionate, engaged citizens. We heard from multiple stakeholders about the need to focus on academic excellence. This plan highlights key values of both equity and academic excellence –reinforcing an even greater commitment to high expectations for all students! Ready for Life 2028 combines the current realities and opportunities our students, staff, and families are facing while allowing us to envision the best future possible.
Ready for Life 2028 encompasses 4 success areas for RBCS along with clearly outlined commitments and accountability measures. The four success areas are:
- Every student has access to high-quality, culturally responsive, and engaging learning experiences across all subject areas ~ developing roots
- Every student has access to math experiences consistent with the three key common core mathematics shifts and that allow them to develop math agency and a positive math identity
- Every professional educator has deep content knowledge in their area of appointment and will deliver effective instruction that exemplifies academic excellence
- Every student is socially and emotionally equipped to thrive in school and in life ~ developing wings
Over the next five years, as we advance this plan, we want to empathize to the community that our focus will not waver. We intended to work tirelessly to create an environment of academic excellence that is unmatched. Our goal is for RBCS to be a premiere school choice option for all families across Philadelphia.
Our greatest success are the students that come to us by way of our families and communities. As CEO and with the collective board of education, we stand united in our commitment to ensure RBCS is a premier school choice option. We invite you to stay engaged and involved. You send us your most prized possessions every day. You can count on us to nurture and support them as we prepare them to flourish now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Jessica Ramos, CEO
-
Early Learning: At RBCS we believe the journey of learning begins at a young age. That's why we are only one of two schools in Philadelphia to offer a two-year, full-day kindergarten program that begins with four-year-old students (4k). Getting a jumpstart on education allows our children to plant roots a full year earlier than their peers. As a result, our 4k students are socially, emotionally, and intellectually ready to move on to five-year-old kindergarten (5k) and make the most of their RBCS education.
EL Education: EL Education is an innovative teaching approach based on the guiding principles of the famed outdoor educational program, Outward Bound. EL emphasizes high achievement through hands-on learning, character growth, teamwork, and community service. Learn more about EL education…
The Whole Child: At RBCS, we don't just educate our students. We focus on creating great citizens by teaching resilience and responsibility for learning. It takes a holistic continuum of supports to build character and confidence from an early age. Our carefully chosen coursework supports student growth through a full range of activities, enriching the whole child. Thanks to our innovative model, RBCS students have the opportunity to study art, music, physical education, debate, and digital humanities.
Partnerships: RBCS takes full advantage of Philadelphia's urban resources, using the city as an extension of the classroom. Through these rich partnerships, RBCS offers exciting programs that support our student's learning experience both in the classroom and in the community. In addition to supporting our EL curriculum, these partnerships provide essential mentoring. Partnerships include Big Brothers Big Sisters, WHYY Media Lab, Walnut Street Theatre, Arden for All, and many more.
Ours for Life: We measure the true value of an RBCS education by where students go when they leave our doors. Ours for Life is a full-service college and/or career-track program that supports our students throughout their education and especially in critical transition points in their academic careers.
-
OBJECTIVES COMMITMENTS Every student has access to high-quality, culturally responsive, and engaging learning experiences across all subject areas Every student…
~ has access to high-quality learning
~ is seen and acknowledged for their lived experiences
~ attends school regularly
~ finds value in their learning experiences
Every student has access to math experiences consistent with the three key common core mathematics shifts and that allow them to develop math agency and a positive math identity Every student…
~ is empowered through math experiences that are meaningful and engaging
~ has opportunities to develop a love for math
~ develops mathematical problem-solving skills
Every professional educator has deep content knowledge in their area of appointment and will deliver effective instruction that exemplifies academic excellence Every professional educator…
~ is certified in their area of appointment
~ maintains their professional license through ongoing professional development
~ has high expectations and the belief that all students can succeed at a high level
~feels valued as a member of the RBCS team
Every student is socially and emotionally equipped to thrive in school and in life Every student…
~ feels a sense of belonging
~ learns to better understand their thoughts and emotions, becomes more self-aware, and develops more empathy for others within their community and the world around them
-
RBCS Success Area 1
Every student has access to high-quality, culturally responsive, and engaging learning experiences across all subject areas
RBCS Objectives RBCS Commits to ↠ 1.1
Every student has access to high-quality learning
Acquire a high quality (as determined by EdReports) ELA curriculum for grades 4K - 5, Evaluate the Science curriculum and reinforce or adjust as needed, maintain current Math curriculum. Ensure that high quality instructional materials are in use across all content areas Design scope and sequences for all content areas that prioritize the most important work of the grade. ↠ 1.2
Every student is seen and acknowledged for their lived experiences
Ensure that all staff receive professional learning on culturally responsive teaching practices and that those learnings are implemented with fidelity Create opportunities in the curriculum for students’ lived experiences to be utilized Seeing each student as an individual with individual needs and aspirations ↠ 1.3
Every student attends school regularlyCreating attendance initiatives that support regular attendance and celebrate student engagement Connecting families with aligned resources for common reasons for student absence:
- Access to preventative healthcare options
- Uniform assistance
- Tutoring support
- Transportation
↠ 1.4
Every student finds value in their learning experiences
Designing student centered learning experiences as well as student centered school-based activities Connecting students and families to out of school opportunities that enhance learning and overall wellbeing RBCS Success Area 2
Every student has access to math experiences consistent with the three key common core mathematics shifts and that allow them to develop math agency and a positive math identity
RBCS Objectives RBCS Commits to ↠ 1.1
Every student is empowered through math experiences that are meaningful and engaging
Developing a math vision that empowers students to reach their true potential Maintaining a focus on real world problems that engage students with the eight mathematical practices and allow them to find meaning in the math ↠ 1.2
Every student has opportunities to develop a love for math
Ensure that both teachers and students have a growth mindset about math ability Incorporate small group math instruction into the math block to allow students to explore math concepts through multiple modalities, such as math games and puzzles ↠ 1.3
Every student develops mathematical problem-solving skillsEmphasize open ended math problems Employ a top-heavy emphasis on process over product. RBCS Success Area 3
Every professional educator has deep content knowledge in their area of appointment and will deliver effective instruction that exemplifies academic excellence
RBCS Objectives RBCS Commits to ↠ 1.1
Every professional educator is certified in their area of appointment
Maintaining certification plans for any non-certified staff or staff that are appointed outside of their area of certification Hiring certified teachers and highly qualified staff Rostering teachers to their areas of appointment ↠ 1.2
Every professional educator maintains their professional license through ongoing professional development
Providing high-quality professional learning experiences for all staff on an on-going basis Employ a professional educator evaluation system that monitors educator performance and aligns support as appropriate ↠ 1.3
Every professional educator has high expectations and the belief that all students can succeed at a high levelEngage all adults in a continuous series of professional learning experiences that target an equitable approach to teaching and learning
- PL that focuses on high expectations
- Access for all students
- Collective teacher efficacy
Ensuring inter rater reliability amongst the administration staff regarding observations and feedback pertaining to high expectations and equitable teaching practices ↠ 1.4
Every professional educator feels valued as a member of the RBCS team
Setting aggressive retention goals for all staff Employing a differentiated retention system that centers gratitude and values staff members’ contributions Acquiring a consistent staff feedback system such as Panorama RBCS Success Area 4
Every student is socially and emotionally equipped
to thrive in school and in life
RBCS Objectives RBCS Commits to ↠ 1.1
Every student feels a sense of belonging
Ensuring that teachers cultivate community in each classroom by utilizing CREW effectivity and consistently
Celebrating each student for who they are and having unlimited expectations about who they can become
↠ 1.2
Every student learns to better understand their thoughts and emotions, becomes more self-aware, and develops more empathy for others within their community and the world around them.
Employ a preventative/proactive classroom management system
- Reinforce the PBIS system across all grades
- Ensure that all adults receive trauma-informed and restorative classroom strategies training
Engage in staffing structures that support social-emotional learning (SEL)
- School counselors (upper and lower)
- Social worker
- Trauma Specialist
- Training for all adults on integrating SEL practices
-
-
-
RESPECT I have a high regard for the people and resources in the RBCS community RESPONSIBILITY I am accountable for my actions and decisions REFLECTION I consider how my actions affect the school community RESILIENCE I am dedicated to finding a way to recover through difficult situations -
In order to successfully implement Ready for Life 2028 we acknowledge that deep change must occur. That change must be both technical and adaptive. The adaptive part of the change loves deep in the instructional core as there are only three ways to improve student learning at scale: You can raise the level of the content that students are taught. You can increase the skill and knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching of that content. And you can increase the level of students’ active learning of the content. That’s it. Everything else is instrumental. That is, everything that is not in the instructional core can only affect student learning and performance by, in some way, influencing what goes on inside the core. “Everything else” that is needed is the technical side of change; our policies, procedures, attitudes and mindsets, basically the way we do school.
We as a RBCS community are committed to owning the responsibility of both the technical and adaptative changes that are needed. That commitment is crucial, but it is not enough. We need YOU to be there with us long this journey. We need to hear your feedback, positive and critical. We need you to be there for the crucial conversations that will need to occur as we shift the mindset around what’s possible for students at RBCCS. We are confident in this plan and thank you in advance for your continued partnership and support!
-
Common Core Math Shifts – (1) Focus strongly where the standards focus. (2) Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics within grades. (3) Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application with equal intensity.
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy - a theoretical model that focuses on multiple aspects of student achievement and supports students to uphold their cultural identities. Designed around three major pillars from Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings; Academic Excellence, Cultural Competence, and Sociopolitical Consciousness
EdReports – an independent, nonprofit organization designed to help educators identify and demand instructional materials that are effective, reliable, and aligned to high standards.
EL Education - EL Education is a national nonprofit partnering with K-12 educators to transform public schools and districts into hubs of opportunity for all students to achieve excellent equitable outcomes and release their unique genius. EL Education is guided by a vision of education equity and student potential, by a reimagined definition of student achievement, and offers research-proven resources and practices
EOY – End of year
PCCD Assessment – The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency provides Student Assistance, Behavior Health and School Climate Assessment Criteria using a tiered approach. Tier I is considered the baseline with Tiers II and III being considered as additional services that build upon and strengthen the foundations of Student Assistance, Mental and Behavioral Health, and School Climate.
PDE – Pennsylvania Department of Education
PSSA – Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
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