University Heights Charter School has six core beliefs that drive its educational program and theory of change:

      1. All students can achieve high levels of character, scholarship and leadership. Many people believe socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, family composition, disability, or other factors can limit what children achieve. University Heights Charter School firmly rejects this notion. Our founders chose not to establish a private school or magnet school, where admission is selective but to be a public charter school where admission is open to all. Our student body, which is 100% minority and  80% low income, is representative of our community as a whole.   We serve a range of special education students with services ranging from targeted speech therapy to in-class support to special classrooms with very low student to teacher ratios. 

       2. Effective instruction is the single greatest factor in increasing student achievement. Because we believe all children can achieve at high levels, good teaching is the most important factor in determining whether every child does achieve at high levels. Therefore we invest significant resources and energy in raising the quality and amount of instruction scholars receive. Over 60% of our budget is spent directly on instruction. The curriculum for every student is aligned to New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. UHCS is also committed to extending the time for instruction, wit extended day and year initiatives that combined offer over 20% more learning time for students when compared with traditional district schools.

       3. Great teachers are the key to effective instruction. The impact of high quality curriculum and more learning time is only as strong as the quality of teachers delivering the instruction. This begins with recruitment of teachers. UHCS spends significant resources attracting and hiring the most highly qualified and certified teachers available. Over 400 applicants vied for 8 teacher openings this past year.   Once teachers are hired we provide extensive support and professional development.

       4. Strong school culture makes effective instruction possible. Good instruction can be thwarted by a culture of low expectations and lack of discipline. Therefore University Heights Charter School places emphasis on building a strong school culture. This begins with a student and parent orientation for new students where they learn our expectations, policies and procedures, and we mutually commit to abiding by them. All students wear uniforms to demonstrate school pride and avoid divisions caused by wearing different clothes. Character education revolves around our   REACH core virtues. Discipline is strictly enforced through a system of rewards and consequences.

       5. Data-driven decision-making improves instructional effectiveness. Teaching has not happened if students have not learned, and the only way to determine that is through assessment. Based on the results, teachers can then adjust and extend instruction to ensure maximum learning has taken place. UHCS employs a multitude of formal and informal assessments to track student progress and adjust instruction.

        6. Partnerships with parents & community reinforce student learning and achievement. University Heights recognizes that parents are the primary teachers of students, and therefore seeks their partnership in every way possible.  The school also seeks community partnerships h to enhance the school’s education program. See our Partners page for more details.