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Parent Information

Mission Statement

 “Strong families, working in partnership with the school as advocates for academic achievement, will create an environment where every child has the opportunity to acquire the foundation skills and habits of mind that foster life-long learning, citizenship participation, and personal fulfillment.”

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02/08 LFDCS Board Meeting
02/20 President's Day
02/20 February Vacation
03/27 LFDEF Board Meeting
04/06 Good Friday

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" It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish. "
J.R.R Tolkein
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LFDCS Students Excel on 2011 MCAS PDF Print E-mail
Test results from the spring 2011 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), recently released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, show that Lawrence Family Development Charter School students continued to make significant improvements in academic achievement. The school attained Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) ratings in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math in the aggregate and in all subgroups.
 
The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires all schools and districts to meet or exceed specific student performance standards in ELA and Math by the year 2014. AYP determinations are issued annually based on the performance of all students (the aggregate) and for individual student groups (subgroups) to gauge the interim progress toward the attainment of those goals.

An example of high academic achievement at LFDCS can be seen in the Grade 7 test results. These students outperformed the state in both ELA and Math. Eight-one percent (81%) of 7th graders scored proficient or higher in ELA as compared to 73% for the state and 77% scored proficient or higher in Math as compared to 51% for the state. According to the AYP determinations, 354 Massachusetts school districts (91%) did not make AYP in 2011. Lawrence Family Development Charter School has earned the distinction of being in the 9% of districts that achieved AYP.
 
Seventh graders also did well when measured by the MCAS Composite Performance Index (CPI). This is a measure of the extent to which students are progressing toward proficiency in ELA and Math, with 100 being the highest score. Students scored a combined CPI of 93.8 in ELA and 91.1 in Math. LFDCS has one of the highest English Language Learner (ELL) populations in the state at approximately 40% and one of the state’s highest poverty rates based on free and reduced lunch at 92%.
 
Results such as these have helped propel LFDCS graduates on to tuition based high schools at a high rate. Class of 2011 graduates enrolled in thirteen (13) secondary schools. Thirty (30) of the fifty (50) graduates or 60% are attending rigorous private independent or parochial schools where they earned more than $750,000 in scholarships and financial aid over the course of the next four years.

Click here to read in Spanish
 
FROM THE DIRECTOR/SUPERINTENDENT PDF Print E-mail

As Director/Superintendent, I hope you will find our website informative and a useful tool to gather information regarding Lawrence Family Development Charter School.

Founded in 1995 by the Board of Lawrence Family Development & Education Fund, Inc. and a group of Latino parents, Lawrence Family Development Charter School provides a choice of an independent public education that specifically focuses on the  participation of parents at all levels including governance, teaching, volunteer support and advocating high academic achievement for their children. Performance doesn't occur unless you can measure it in order to improve it!. It also requires strong parental involvement in the education of their children along with a highly-qualified teaching staff which are vital components to our success. Now in its seventeenth year LFDCS is providing a strong academic program to 620 students from Early Kindergarten (four year olds) through Grade 8. Graduating classes of 50-55 students apply and are accepted to admissions schools with more than 80% attending selective private and parochial schools.

The school is governed by a 13-member School Board, 7 of which are parent representatives and 6 of which are Lawrence Family Development and Education Fund, Inc. Trustees, which meet bi-monthly throughout the year. The School Site Council also meets bi-monthly to provide solid support for parents and staff. Check out our School Calendar for upcoming meeting dates.

There are many ways for you to communicate with us. Our address, phone numbers, and email address are listed here on the website. We look forward to hearing from you regarding your suggestions that can help us continue to thrive as an excellent independent public charter school.
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Ralph L. Carrero
Director/Superintendent


CORNERSTONES FOR SUCCESS

Academic Program


Our program includes a dual-language model with students learning in both Spanish and English. The goal is to enable students to attain advanced levels of functional proficiency in two languages and to promote understanding of and appreciation for the cultures represented by the languages studied. The primary objective is to teach students language and literacy skills that will allow them to function effectively in both their personal and professional lives. We feel the development of literacy will foster a love of learning to read, and then the competency of reading to learn.

Leadership


We believe there is a strong link between school success and effective and consistent leadership. As a result, our Board of Trustees, composed of parents and community leaders, provides valuable oversight and focuses on creating and upholding policies that support our students and their families. We also have initiated a new administrative structure with a principal and heads of upper and lower schools, who manage daily operations and discipline. Leadership from the ranks of the teaching staff is also highly evident, as teachers improve curriculum, serve as mentors to novice educators and work to attain National Board Certification.

Community Partnerships


Our goal is to work with many individuals and organizations in order to provide the resources necessary to enhance and enrich the lives of our students, both during the day and in our extended day and extended year programs. The quality and breadth of our community partnership program is unique. We work with an extensive array of local private schools, parent and community volunteers, and organizations providing on-site programs.

Parent Partners


We believe that when parents are actively involved in their children’s education, students have a better chance of succeeding academically. At LFDCS parents are required to be active participants in the education of their children. Parents serve on our Board of Trustees, participate in training programs designed to help them work with their children at home, volunteer in the classroom and on field trips, and assist with fundraising initiatives. All parents sign a contract that places high expectations on their participation both at school and at home.

 

Employment

Thank you for your interest in applying for a position at the Lawrence Family  Development  Charter  School.
 
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LFDCS is an equal opportunity and affirmative action institution. LFDCS does not discriminate due to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.

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Upper School Campus Lower School Campus
400 Haverhill St.
Lawrence, MA 01841
34 West St.
Lawrence, MA 01841
(P) 978-738-0609 (P) 978-689-9863
(F) 978-651-2207 (F) 978-689-8133