The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has released a study of the practices that have enabled Uncommon Schools, winner of the 2013 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools, to graduate more than 90 percent of its students and see all its graduates admitted to college.

The report, Turning Urban Schools Into Springboards to College (16 pages, PDF), examined how the network of public charters serving nearly ten thousand low-income African-American and Latino students in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts has created a college-going culture. For example, all Uncommon School seniors take the SAT, and their average score in 2012 was higher than the college readiness benchmark set by the College Board.

Based on four-day site visits to schools in the network by a team of education researchers and practitioners, the report found that likely contributors to the organization’s success include a governance structure in which each school is co-led by a director who oversees operations and a principal who focuses on teacher support; frequent analysis of data, including quarterly assessments that help principals and teachers discover patterns in student learning, allowing them to tailor instruction; consistent and frequent teacher training and support; a school culture that emphasizes joy, social justice, and character; and a longer school day and year.

"If our national priority is to make sure every child is prepared for college, we need more success stories like the Uncommon Schools network of public charters," said Broad Foundation president Bruce Reed. "By laying out the key practices behind Uncommon's results — such as teacher coaching and a longer school day – we hope other public schools will apply similar strategies to make high academic achievement common for all students."