Massachusetts Charter Public School Association

👏 Join us in celebrating Innovation Academy Charter School Middle School Principal Federico Pereyra!

Recently honored at the 2026 Latino Educators Shine Awards, Federico is being recognized for his leadership and commitment to his students and school community.

📰 Read more about Federico’s impact at Innovation Academy: http://ma4charters.org/innovation-federico-pereya-honored-lowell-sun

What can the latest research tell us about Massachusetts charter public schools?

A new MIT Blueprint Labs study, featured in The 74, examined nearly two decades of student outcomes at Massachusetts charter public schools. The study found that students experienced significant academic gains compared to their peers in district schools, with particularly strong outcomes for Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students. It also found that student outcomes rebounded during and after the pandemic following declines in the late 2010s.

Research like this helps inform important conversations about the future of public education–and keeps students at the center of those conversations.

Read more: http://ma4charters.org/-the74-exclusive-MIT-study

What has the MCPSA team been up to this summer? ☀️ As those of us in education know, summer is the perfect time for learning, planning, and connecting! Last month, our team had the opportunity to do all three as we traveled to New Orleans for the 2026 National Charter Schools Conference.

Highlights from the conference:
🔹 Tim Nicolette, Executive Director, joined a panel on the evolving nature of education policy alongside leaders from Illinois and Rhode Island. Illinois Network of Charter Schools, Rhode Island League of Charter Schools.
🔹 Danielle Pape, Chief of Public Affairs, and Adkeem Jackson, Senior Director of Community Mobilization, led a Massachusetts session, Collective Action that Generates Wins, highlighting advocacy strategies that helped generate meaningful progress over the past year.
🔹 Advocate Angela Gonzalez– charter public school alumna, staff member, and parent–joined our team to share her experience advocating at the State House and telling her story directly to elected officials. Phoenix Charter Academy Network, Springfield Prep Charter School
🔹 Our team also attended inspiring sessions on topics ranging from cell phone policies to the future of the charter movement, leaving with fresh ideas to bring back to Massachusetts! National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

We returned energized, inspired, and excited for the year ahead. 💙

Yesterday, the Healey-Driscoll administration signed the FY27 state budget, furthering their commitment to ensuring public schools across Massachusetts receive sufficient, equitable funding.

In addition to fulfilling the final year of implementation of the Student Opportunity Act, the budget establishes a new commission to help shape the future of public education funding. We’re grateful that our Executive Director, Tim Nicolette, has been invited to be a part of that conversation alongside leaders from across the Commonwealth.

Thank you to Governor Maura Healey, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the legislature for your continued partnership and commitment to investing in public education. We look forward to contributing to these essential conversations to ensure every student has access to a high-quality public education here in Massachusetts.

Learn more 👉🏽: http://ma4charters.org/state-budget-signing-newsletter
Source: Office of Governor Maura Healey

What if history class looked less like memorizing dates and more like solving real-world problems?

At Boston Collegiate Charter School, Maureen O'Hern is transforming history instruction through the Harvard Business School Case Method. Rather than asking students to recall names and dates, the Case Method places them in the role of decision-makers during pivotal moments in history. Students analyze the information available at the time, weigh competing perspectives, and defend the decisions they would have made.

In her recent op-ed, Maureen reflects on the impact of this approach: "I saw that students retained information more readily and showed greater excitement about the material. They connected names and dates to the broader context underlying a given event."

Before returning to Boston Collegiate in 2025, Maureen spent several years at the Case Method Institute for Education and Democracy. Her experience is a powerful reminder that when educators invest in their own professional learning, students benefit from the new ideas, creativity, and expertise they bring back to the classroom.

Read her full op-ed, "Why I Use a Business School Model to Teach History", here:

Why I Use a Business School Model to Teach History (Opinion) Students who can see themselves in historical figures learn how to debate respectfully.

Our Executive Director Tim Nicolette's Letter to the Editor was recently published in The Boston Globe! Tim highlights the data behind Massachusetts charter public schools' outcomes for students – particularly Black and brown students.

Black and brown children achieve at higher levels when they attend charter public schools, and attend and finish college at higher rates than their peers at district public schools. In 2024, 9 of the top 13 Boston schools ranked by college-going rates in Boston were charter public schools.

Student outcomes, and the evidence behind them, should remain at the center of every conversation about education.

Read Tim's full letter:

Charter schools can be both antiracist and exceptional - The Boston Globe Black and brown families are seeking out charter public schools at high rates because at charters, their children are excelling.

📢 Massachusetts takes a major step forward for early literacy!

MCPSA is proud to celebrate the passage of early literacy legislation that advances high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction in grades K-3 across Massachusetts public schools.
Every student deserves the opportunity to become a strong, confident reader. We know that when schools use evidence-based approaches and are held accountable for strong outcomes, students thrive.

Thank you to the Massachusetts Legislature, the Healey-Driscoll administration, and our Mass Reads Literacy Coalition partners for their leadership to move this important work forward.
Maura Healey
Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll

We will continue to partner with state leaders, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, school leaders, and educators to support strong implementation from public schools across the Commonwealth.

This legislation marks an important milestone toward closing literacy gaps, supporting educators, and ensuring every student has the strong reading foundation they need for lifelong learning.