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About Us
"An alternate course [in education should] include: encouraging the creation of charter schools so anyone interested in helping children achieve can do so. Churches, mosques, businesses, community groups and neighborhood organizations can become full partners in helping their children achieve by sponsoring and running charter schools themselves."
Russell Byers
 Russell Byers October 2, 1940 - December 4, 1999 Philadelphia Daily News columnist Russell Byers believed that the greatest gift you can give a child is roots and wings. In his columns for the paper, Russell wrote frequently and passionately about how to improve the city of Philadelphia and was most passionate when writing about public education. He thrived on the excitement of city life and believed that a solid education has the power to change the life of a child... thereby changing the world. Russell died on December 4, 1999, when he was murdered during an attempted robbery. As a tribute to his life, the columnist's family -- Laurada Byers, his widow; his daughter, Alison Byers; and his son Russell Byers, Jr. -- have founded a charter school that honors Russell's lifelong commitment to civic responsibility, community service and academic excellence. With tremendous community support, the Russell Byers School opened its doors on September 17, 2001 to 160 students in grades 4K-2nd in the diverse Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia. We have been going forward ever since.
Mission One of our core principles is a belief in diversity and inclusivity. Acceptance of others increases the school's richness of ideas. We believe that adults should guide students along their journey with care, compassion, and respect for their diverse learning styles, backgrounds and needs. About the SchoolThe Russell Byers Charter School is a public elementary school with 400 students in 4-year old Kindergarten (4K) through 6th Grade. In September 2006, we welcomed a new class to our full-day kindergarten for 4 year-olds. Our students are from 37 neighborhoods across Philadelphia. Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia in our spacious building at 1911 Arch Street, the school reflects Russell's values of academic excellence, civic responsibility and community service. Our approach to teaching, school culture and teacher training are centered around Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS)—an innovative model. ELS emphasizes high achievement through hands-on learning, character growth and teamwork.
Our curriculum in reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies exceeds Pennsylvania academic standards. Music, art, Spanish, and physical education—essential to a well-rounded education-are integrated into the curriculum. We have computers in all classrooms from 5K and up. Our class size is small with a student/teacher ratio of 22:1. We have an exceptional teaching staff dedicated to excellence—with 50% having earned master's degrees. The school won approval to renew its charter from the Philadelphia School Reform Commission in March 2005. For an in-depth review of the school, read our charter renewal application.
About the Academics This partnership is key to the school's overarching goal: empowering students to take responsibility for their own education. At RBCS, students are on a journey of self-discovery and knowledge acquisition, and teachers provide guidance for this journey, drawing on experience, compassion, and respect for diverse learning styles, backgrounds, and needs. Used in 115 schools nationwide, ELS is both rigorous and fun! Our students learn by doing, spending up to 12 weeks studying a single topic both inside and outside the classroom where their natural curiosity can flourish. The students pursue their studies at many of the city's nearby cultural treasures, including the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Free Library - all within walking distance of the school. Using the ELS model, students are supported in developing new skills and achieving mastery of them. As their confidence grows, so does their natural curiosity -- and their desire to try more complex assignments. This active engagement holds students' interest in the classroom and over time, enables an even more important development: it changes their way of being in the world. It turns them into lifelong learners, ever-capable of taking on a challenge. More about ELS… About the People Behind the Scenes . . . . .
Russell Byers Charter School
Copyright © 2002-2008, Russell Byers Charter School. All rights reserved.
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