Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

The Chemistry of a PHA Education...

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School will prepare each student for success in college, inspire a lifelong love of learning, and foster responsible citizenship.

Vision

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School will be a nationally-recognized public school where students from diverse backgrounds are proud to achieve academic excellence, teachers are proud to practice, parents aspire to send their children, and selective colleges actively recruit.

Values

At Prospect Hill Academy, the prevailing belief is that with hard work, effective effort, perseverance through adversity, committed teachers, and invested parents, all students are capable of academic, intellectual, social, and moral excellence. Fueling this conviction are seven core values that guide the daily life and culture of the school.

High Expectations for All

Prospect Hill Academy exists to promote high standards of academic, personal, and social achievement for all students, regardless of their racial, cultural, educational, or economic backgrounds. Our students have the capacity to be and to do great things, and adults play an enormous role in influencing their success both in and out of school. We expect our students to put forth their best effort in all that they do, and adults must approach their work with the same conviction and purpose that they expect of their students.

Collaboration

At Prospect Hill Academy, we recognize that collaboration—between and among students and adults—leads to deeper understandings, broader possibilities, and wider perspectives. It is both a professional expectation and an institutional norm for teachers to work closely with one another to improve their practice, and students are similarly taught and encouraged to work together from Kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Balanced Approach

Prospect Hill Academy students learn best from a variety of curricular and instructional approaches, and we willingly adapt and modify our methods to meet the needs of our students. While standardized tests are essential to providing data on our students’ performance relative to a larger norm, we also establish frequent opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through public exhibitions, portfolios, interdisciplinary projects, and other authentic means. We also value our students as complex beings with lives beyond the academic sphere, and we fully embrace their development in athletics, the arts, and other extracurricular interests.

Data-Driven Decision Making

At Prospect Hill Academy, our desire to collect, analyze, and learn from data contributes to a culture of ongoing improvement. We define data broadly—both qualitatively (satisfaction surveys, classroom and student observations, interviews, etc.) and quantitatively (test scores, attrition rates, financial audits, etc.)—and we are committed to utilizing our understanding of the data to inform programmatic, budgetary, personnel, and policy decisions.

Equity

At Prospect Hill Academy, we believe that providing an outstanding public education to all students is critical to a just society that affords every individual a full range of opportunities in life. We take pride in being a diverse community where individuals from a wide range of backgrounds contribute to a shared context for learning and where our differences are seen as fundamental strengths toward the fulfillment of our mission. In and out of the classroom, we promote the values of decency, kindness, and respect, and we are committed to promoting equity at the individual and institutional levels.

Accountability

At Prospect Hill Academy, we operate with a relentless focus on student achievement propelled by the belief that everyone is accountable for the success of our students. Students first and foremost acknowledge the importance of effort and commit to their own educational success; teachers assume personal responsibility for the performance of their students; parents/guardians provide conditions at home that support their children’s development; administrators establish an optimal environment for effective teaching and high student achievement; and the Board of Trustees governs in a way that supports sustained school improvement.

Personalization

At Prospect Hill Academy, we are unwavering in our desire to know each student well. Research has proven that students who feel connected to at least one adult in their schools fare better academically and socially than their peers who do not, and we therefore invest significant resources in reaching out to parents/guardians and networking with one another to support the whole child.