Comprehensive character education has been a part of St. Louis Charter School’s mission since its inception 11 years ago: “to provide children with an individualized education rich in academics and character.” All classrooms emphasize core values. According to school board member Lynn Yearwood, the values are so embedded in the school that “[t]hey are even woven into board meetings.”
This urban school draws a diverse student body, with nearly seven in 10 students being eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. St. Louis Charter staff work hard to create community among their students—who come from different parts of the city and from different backgrounds—and to celebrate their differences. Student work and art are everywhere, even on attractively painted ceiling tiles. Staff members monitor data closely and plan program changes in response. The school also uses its data to help individual students improve. St. Louis Charter does an outstanding job of providing professional development opportunities for the entire staff, in order to help them meet the needs of their students. Administrators review every teacher’s goals for the year, looking for commonalities, and then provide staff development workshops on popular areas of concern.
Signature Practices
Promising Practice: Middle School Advisory
All sixth through eighth grade students attend a mixed-age advisory class twice each week. These classes work on building a sense of community in our middle school.
Promising Practice: "How are we doing?" Middle School Data Collection and Goal Setting
Educators regularly collect data, but often fail to share it with the most relevant stakeholder group: students. The goal of this practice is to involve St. Louis Charter School middle school students in evaluating character education and setting goals based on these evaluations.
Promising Practice: Middle School Challenge Days
Each spring, SLCS gathers sixth graders and staff in the gym for their first Challenge Day. Students are assigned random groups and work through various challenges such as sharing things about themselves that their peers are unlikely to know.
Promising Practice: Heart to Heart
The Heart to Heart event is an annual event held near Valentine's Day to promote teaching and learning core ethical values at school, home, and the community at large.
Contact Information
Ms. Julie FrugoHead of School
5279 Fyler Ave. St. Louis, MO 63139
Phone: (314) 645-9600 x. 233
Email: jfrugo@stlcharterschool.org
Website: http://www.stlcharterschool.org