About Us

Mission

The mission of the MCCPSE is to support the academic and administrative improvement of all existing charter public schools in the state and to stimulate the creation of new, high-quality, charter public schools. With an unrelenting commitment to student achievement, MCCPSE:

 

    • Relentlessly promotes quality throughout the network
    • Identifies, promotes, and shares effective charter school models of excellence
    • Creates a support network to share ideas, concerns, and solutions to the complex problems confronting charter schools
    • Proactively engages underperforming schools to implement school change to produce higher student achievement
    • Engages founding groups to ensure that new schools are well-designed and viable educational alternatives
    • Leverages the resources and services of other individuals and organizations currently providing high-quality support to the state’s charter schools

 

MCCPSE offers services which enhance quality and expand organizational capacity. As a direct result of these activities, existing and new schools have access to:

 

    • Best practices in administration, governance, fund raising, and school and curriculum design
    • Workshops, trainings, and networking opportunities
    • The highest quality providers and vendors serving charter schools
    • Opportunities to engage with education and organizational experts in self-reflective, school re-design processes to improve student performance

 

MCCPSE’s strives:

 

    • To move schools that are performing below the average of their district to above average performance, as measured by standard criteria used by DOE to judge school quality
    • To move schools that are performing well relative to their districts to even higher levels of achievement (“good to great”)
    • To increase the chances that new schools will be chartered by improving the quality of founding groups’ school design and development
    • To secure Massachusetts position as having the highest quality charter school network in the nation

 

Guiding Principles

Throughout its work, MCCPSE adheres to the following four guiding principles:

 

    • Quality:  Informed by the research being conducted under the federally-funded dissemination and replication grant (Keeping the Promise), MCCPSE supports the adoption of a set of quality standards for all charter schools in the state, standards that will lead to high performance and that are aligned with DOE’s expectations. MCCPSE ensures that its programming reflects those standards so that all schools can strive to be high-quality schools
    • Critical Partner:  MCCPSE serves as an honest broker and critical friend to each charter school to help identify academic and operational challenges and to guide schools to the appropriate services. While doing so, MCCPSE realizes that school performance and improvement is the ultimate responsibility of each school. As such, MCCPSE may choose to disengage with a particular school that is not actively participating in self-reflection and self-improvement, even if this lack of support leads to a school closing, an action MCCPSE supports for chronically failing schools.
    • Independence:  MCCPSE is an independent resource center for the benefit of all of the state’s charter schools. Although its goals are aligned with those of the DOE, it neither takes direction from nor reports to DOE. Ideally, school participation in MCCPSE programs will be self-reported by individual schools to DOE to demonstrate their personal commitment to self-improvement.
    • Accountability:  MCCPSE is successful when charter schools that access its programs show measurable improvement in their MCAS scores, AYP, and other performance measures such as graduation rates, college applications and acceptances, wait lists, and so forth. Success is not defined simply by the number of programs offered and the participation rate of schools.

 

Staff Bios

John Tarvin is the founding Executive Director of the Massachusetts Center for Charter Public school Excellence “MCCPSE”. John has over 25 years of management experience, including more than 15 years as a senior executive at several education-based non-profits. Most recently, prior to starting MCCPSE, John was the President of Jumpstart, a community-service-based non-profit that provides early education services to more than 10,000 low-income children in 19 states through partnerships with 70 higher education institutions and more than 250 preschools. John has also been a senior executive at Historic New England and South Shore Day Care Services. As a certified management accountant, John’s corporate experience included development of and accounting for the $100 million annual budget of the systems company of Fidelity Investments. John holds a Bachelor degree from Boston University in Business Administration and a Masters in Computer Information Systems from Bentley College.

 

Brian Anderson is the Program Manager for MCCPSE, responsible for program design and delivery, program evaluation tools, project management for the Keeping the Promise federal grant, and website content development. Prior to joining MCCPSE in October 2007, Brain was a teacher in several Boston pilot schools and an educator through the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, WA. Brian holds a Bachelor Degree from Princeton University in Anthropology.

 

Board Bios

Kevin Andrews is the Headmaster of the Neighborhood House Charter School (NHCS) in Dorchester, MA. Prior to joining NHCS, Kevin served as a high school principal in Brookline and Newton and as a public school teacher. Also, Kevin has worked with several higher education institutions in Boston, most specifically as an adjunct faculty member at Lesley College.

 

In addition to his service on the MCCPSE board, Kevin serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Kevin is also the co-founder of the Support Network for Innovative Principals and the Project for School Innovation. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Masters of Education and Administration from Antioch University.

 

Julia Bowen has a background in business management as well as education. She worked for 6 years at the Monitor Group, an international consulting company headquartered in Boston, where she consulted to clients in the US, England, Israel and Bangladesh. She also worked on the management team of Monitor, with significant responsibilities in human asset management.

 

Julia left the business world to pursue her passion for education. Prior to joining the founding BArT team, Julia Bowen was a math teacher at Mount Greylock Regional High School where she piloted innovative uses of technology in her classroom. She has been a Big Sister and tutored inmates in the Suffolk County Jail. In addition to her work at BArT, Ms. Bowen serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Dartmouth College.

 

Rebecca Cass is Director of Professional Services for the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, a professional organization of authorizers and other education leaders who work to achieve quality public charter schools. Rebecca oversees and manages NACSA’s consulting services to authorizers, the entities charged by state law to approve, oversee and evaluate charter schools. Rebecca’s clients include the University of Missouri-Kansas City, New York City Department of Education, the New Mexico Department of Education, and the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, the Louisiana Department of Education, and the Orleans Parish School Board.

 

Prior to joining NACSA, Rebecca served as the Director of Research and Finance for the Massachusetts Department of Education's Charter School Office, where she was responsible for evaluating the financial and academic performance of more than 50 charter schools. In addition, she developed the state's Charter Schools Program and managed the distribution of federal funds under that program. Rebecca is a member of the Board of Trustees for Excel Academy Charter School, a college-preparatory middle school in East Boston, and holds a B.A. degree from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University in Boston.

 

Nancy Coolidge is a Boston-based advocate and philanthropist who, through her work with Citizens United to Raise the Cap, Citizens United for Charter Schools, and the George F. and Jane A. Mifflin Memorial Fund, has taken a leading role in supporting the charter school movement since education reform was introduced in Massachusetts in 1993.

 

Nancy also has been a practicing social worker in both clinical and private practices. Nancy holds a Bachelor degree from Wellesley College and a Master in Social Work from Boston University. In addition to her service on the boards of MCCPSE, Citizens United and the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy, Nancy was part of the steering committee for the Max Warburg Curriculum in the Boston Public Schools and is a founding member of Beacon Hill Village, an organization that enables Senior Citizens to stay at home with the comprehensive programs they need to stay intellectually and physically active. This program has been replicated across the country.

 

Catherine Gill is Director for NFF Capital Partners, serving clients on the East Coast. Catherine joined NFF in 2004 and ran NFF’s New England office for 3 years. As a member of NFF Capital Partners, Catherine works with nonprofits and their funders to structure growth capital campaigns. As Site Director for New England, Ms. Gill was responsible for advancing the office’s financial and advisory service activities as well as NFF’s advocacy agenda throughout the six New England states. Ms. Gill has also worked as a senior lender both at NFF and at SEEDCO, another Community Development Financial Institution headquartered in New York City. In these roles, she managed multi million dollar loan portfolios to nonprofits in every sector.

 

In addition to her strong background in financial analysis, Ms. Gill brings her experience as a fundraiser for Columbia Business School and as a consultant on economic development projects in Honduras. She is currently a lecturer on nonprofit financial management at Boston University. Ms. Gill serves on the Board of Family Continuity, a community-based family support agency, and on the finance committee of On The Rise, a day shelter for homeless women in Cambridge, MA. She holds an MBA from IESE, Universidad de Navarra in Barcelona, Spain, and a BA from Wellesley College in Ancient Greek.

 

Eric Hieser is the Executive Director of the Sturgis Charter Public School, joining the school in 2004. During the past four years, Sturgis has been recognized as a leader in educational reform due to its rigorous International Baccalaureate for All program. The school was highlighted in Newsweek in 2007 and was ranked by the magazine among the top 100 high schools in the U.S. at #55 in 2007 and at #43 in 2008. Sturgis also ranks among the top scoring schools in Massachusetts on the MCAS assessments.

 

Prior to joining Sturgis Charter Public School as Executive Director, Eric held leadership positions in four American international schools in Brazil, Switzerland, Japan, and Norway and was the President of the Principals Association of American Schools of South America. He currently serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association and is a school consultant and site visitor for the International Baccalaureate. Eric has presented numerous workshops on board governance, college readiness, redesigning the American high school, and International Baccalaureate for All at regional, state, national, and international conferences.

 

Bobbie Knable is Dean of Students, Emeritus of Tufts University where she managed all aspects of student life policy and programs from 1980 through 1999.  Prior to serving as Dean of Students at Tufts, Bobbie was the Dean of First-Year Students, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, the Director of Undergraduate Degree Programs for Adult Students, and an Assistant Professor.  Bobbie has also been an educational consultant, presenter, and workshop leader, who has lectured on a variety of topics including student life, alcohol issues, women's issues, and diversity.

 

Since her retirement, Bobbie continues to share her expertise by serving on the boards of the City on the Hill Charter School, Bennington College, the Massachusetts Institute of Psychoanalysis, the St. Botolph Club, and the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association.  Bobbie holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

 

Jim Peyser is a Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, where he brings to bear a strong hybrid background in education policy, charter school development and business management to lead NewSchools' East Coast initiatives. From 1999 through 2006, Jim served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education.

 

Prior to joining NewSchools, Jim was Education Advisor to two Governors of Massachusetts, where he helped shape outcomes-focused policy at the state level on standards, charter schools and school accountability. He also spent more than seven years as Executive Director of Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, where he supported public education innovations, including early charter schools. In 1995, he served as Under Secretary of Education and Special Assistant to the Governor for Charter Schools. Prior to joining Pioneer Institute, Jim held various positions at Teradyne, Inc. in Boston, an electronic test equipment manufacturer.

 

Jim is a member of the Board of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service and a former member of: the Educational Management Audit Council (Chairman), the Board of Directors of Boston Partners in Education, and the Board of Overseers at WGBH. He also currently serves on the board of directors for Achievement First, Lighthouse Academies, New Schools for New Orleans, Noble Network of Charter Schools, Perspectives Charter Schools and Uncommon Schools. Jim holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School (Tufts University) and a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University.

 

Dr. Dorie Shallcross is Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts/ Amherst where she directed the graduate program in creativity. Her major work there was with doctoral candidates specializing in creative behavior. She is the author of 5 books. Dorie is past president of the Creative Education Foundation Board of Trustees and a consulting editor of The Journal of Creative Behavior. She was inducted into the Creative Problem Solving Institute Hall of Fame in 2004. She teaches classes for that Institute each summer. Dorie is a founding member and currently president of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She is founder and past president of the Arts in Education Center and the Shallcross Creativity Institute and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Enchanted Circle Theater and is vice-president of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association Board of Directors. Dorie has done extensive work in creativity here and abroad, primarily with educational institutions.

 

Dorie holds a Bachelor of Arts from Montclair State University (NJ), a Master of Arts from Wesleyan University (CT), and a Doctor of Education from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst.

 

Partners and Collaborators

To deliver its services, MCCSPE collaborates with the highest quality education providers, including:

 

Community Partners Initiative - http://www.cpieducate.org/

Massachusetts Charter Public School Association - http://www.masscharterschools.org/

MassDevelopment - http://www.massdevelopment.com/custom/nonprofits.aspx

Meetinghouse Solutions - http://www.meetinghousesolutions.com/

Nonprofit Finance Fund - http://www.nonprofitfinancefund.org/

Old Sow Consulting - http://www.kirstenolson.org/oldsow/index.html

Project for School Innovation - http://www.psinnovation.org/

Rudenstine & Associates - http://www.rudenstine-associates.com/

SchoolWorks - http://www.schoolworks.org/

 

 

 

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