About Our Schools

The track record of student success at Elmwood Village Charter Schools is no accident—it’s by design, due in large part to our class size and low student-teacher ratio, how our “time on task” compares to other schools, and our carefully chosen educational models.

Class Size & Student-Teacher Ratio

EVCS Students

The average class size at EVCS is 25 students. Each classroom has one certified teacher and one teaching assistant or teacher’s aide, and many of our teaching assistants are certified teachers. Each school also has:

  • 9 full-time special education teachers
  • 3 full-time academic intervention teachers
  • A full-time health and physical education teacher
  • A full-time school nurse
  • A full-time library/media specialist
  • A full-time ESL teacher
  • Art, music, dance, and Spanish teachers
  • A social worker
  • A school counselor
  • A learning specialist

Additionally, the adult-to-student ratio is approximately one adult to every seven students.

More Instructional Time

EVCS has both a longer daily schedule and a longer school year.

  • The school day runs from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with before-school care beginning at 7:00 a.m. and after-school care available until 5:30 p.m. The longer school day provides students with approximately one extra day of instruction per week.
  • EVCS has 185 instructional days each year—five more days than the district of residence.

The Responsive Classroom Model

EVCS Students

To help maximize student achievement, Elmwood Village Charter Schools implement the Responsive Classroom model, developed by the Northeast Foundation for Children in Greenfield, MA. This approach combines the teaching of academic skills with the teaching of social responsibility as part of everyday classroom life. Students can successfully develop academic competencies because of the context of cooperation, responsibility, empathy, and self-control that the Responsive Classroom creates.

Read about Key Responsive Classroom Components at EVCS.

Learn more at ResponsiveClassroom.org and OriginsOnline.org.

The Cooperative Discipline Model

EVCS also utilizes the Cooperative Discipline classroom and school reform model, derived from the philosophy of psychologist Rudolf Dreikurs. According to this approach, students excel when they feel like they are active participants in the learning process rather than its passive recipients. This creates a school culture where social responsibility fuels academic excellence and where students help each other thrive in the context of the various communities to which they belong.

Learn more about Rudolf Dreikurs and Cooperative Discipline at Wikibooks.org.

Our Community Partnerships

EVCS partners with numerous other community organizations, providing stimulating and engaging learning experiences for students. Partnerships have included:

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