Epiphany School

CONTACT:

154 Centre Street
Dorchester, MA 02124
(617) 326-0425
www.epiphanyschool.com

John Finley, IV, Head of School

DESCRIPTION:

The distinctive strategy of the Epiphany School in Dorchester, an independent middle school founded in 1997, is to engage students and their families together, with the school. In lieu of tuition, every family commits to serving the school two hours each week; in return, Epiphany offers a strong academic program, serves three meals a day, provides after-school and summer programming, and helps families accede to health and social services. The school is open 12 hours daily, 6 days a week, 11 months a year; classes are limited to 10 students; homework is supported by 2-hour evening study sessions 4 nights per week, with special weekend assignments.

The results are convincing. Many students enter Epiphany in the fifth grade but at a third-grade learning level, and with the help of teachers, parents, volunteers and donors, graduate eighth grade learning at a ninth grade level. Graduates go on to attend a wide variety of high schools in New England, including Buckingham Brown & Nichols, Milton Academy, Winsor School, and Taft Academy.

The Boston Globe has called Epiphany a "shining example" of educational reform and innovation-- not just for the test results, but for its fresh approach to educating at-risk urban youth, by supporting their overall personal development in the context of their family lives.

(2001: CULTURE: Education: Formal: Schools)