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Ember Charter School now serving grades k-12
Highlights from our 1st Annual Black History Ball 2024
Our mission
We endeavor to ignite, empower and transform young people of great promise traditionally labeled “at-risk” and who have access to the least economic resources, into social entrepreneurs, engineers, and global leaders through our innovative, holistic and progressive human development school model.
Mindfulness:Trauma-informed, culturally-responsive
The overwhelming majority of the students we serve have and continue to experience deeply debilitating trauma. At Ember we teach and employ mindfulness as our primary metacognitive tool to facilitate healing and develop self-efficacy. We combine this practice with an equal commitment to nurturing self-love and -esteem using culturally responsive and affirming techniques rooted in empowerment and agency to support the development of a holistic growth mindset.
“I love myself” - The Remix
Our Impact
For students who joined us before 3rd grade, they begin to dramatically outperform nearly all their public school peers across New York City by the time they finish middle school.
While most Black and LatinX New York City public school students experience an on-going decline in their performance on state tests as they continue through middle school, our students (over 50% of whom have and continue to experience significant trauma), instead experience dramatic growth and increased achievement over the same period with more than 55% growth in ELA and more than 74% growth in Math (dramatically outperforming state proficiency averages in both subjects). But the truth is we could be doing so much more, far more quickly and effectively if we had the right resources.
The Data
Most current up-to-date State Exam & Regents Data - Click above for more.
Data Post-COVID SY 2021-22: Click here for more information.
1+
teachers per classroom
Our co-teaching model serves as the bedrock of what we do here at Ember Charter School. This model allows for small group instruction and more differentiation within our various schoolhouses.
10+
Years Serving communities
TFOA becomes Ember Charter School. 2011-Present. We have been doing this work for more than a decade.
5+
uhuru Ashe
Starting in 5th Grade students enter “Uhuru Ashe,” a group co-facilitated by leads + social workers. This group dives into the social emotional + understanding of our students perception of self as it relates to themselves, their peers and the multiple environments that they are apart of.
Our Vision
We use our Teaching Firm, a unique teacher-led organizational model, to be a fun, holistic, ‘college-successful’, career-ready, community-centered, culturally rich and relevant incubator of exceptional human potential where we spark, nurture and unleash mindful people empowered to affect positive change in the communities we serve.
Everything we court here at Ember is centered around cultivating thinking skills. From our integrated domains such as: Ecosystems, Cultural Anthropology, Engineering & Design, Systems Thinking, and Advocacy & Communication to our Socratic Inquiry & Dialogue approach, critical design thinking is our DNA. On top of engaging in analysis and complexity, cultivating love & kindness is at the core of our program. We are developing human beings who will go out and create a more equitable world based in love & kindness.
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January 2019
And on a recent Friday, it meant that Ember’s third and fourth graders were watching a clip of Beyoncé’s 2016 Super Bowl halftime performance. Tanequa Neale, Ember’s dean of culture, asked the students, “Does the song make me feel beautiful, or better about myself?”
New York Times / Read Full Article
December 2020
“At Ember Charter Schools for Mindful Education, we work primarily with low income Black and Brown children and youth to transform the racist and ineffective 'test prep' public school experience into one focused on their holistic human development. Our work is laser focused on confronting and disrupting systemic racism and the gargantuan equity gap it produces and continues to expand. Sadly, like most Black-led organizations, despite our innovative and successful efforts, we've struggled to achieve equitable funding with our White-led peers. That is why this investment from the Tsai Foundation is so impactful --- finally we have a large foundation willing to invest in the voices, vision and leadership of Black people on our terms.” said Rafiq Kalam Id-Din II, founder of Ember Charter Schools.
NBA.com / Read Full Article
BK Reader / Read Full Article
Enrichment
The Schoolhouse
EmberGram
@Embercharter
Ember YouTube
Learn more about “The Ember Way.”
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and “EmberGram”
Get Involved
Apply now
If you would like to enroll your child, please click the Apply Now link below.
Volunteer opportunities
Any parents or supporters can always check our calendar of events and/or reach out to particular schoolhouse teachers to find out how you can help today.
Make a Donation
We appreciate and welcome any donation you can make to help further our unique and vital work.