Creating in Community

Williamsburg Charter High School (WCHS) is a high performing, public charter high school located in Brooklyn, New York. WCHS opened in August 2004 as the first Chancellor-authorized charter high school in the City of New York with a ninth grade class of 267 students. Now one of the largest operating charters in NYC, WCHS has grown to serve approximately 963 students in grades 9 through 12.

The school’s mission is to unite youth, families, staff, teachers and the community at large in providing young people with the tools necessary to make sense of the world, and prepare them in their journey to become skilled workers and literate citizens of the world.  Young people will accomplish this through their participation in a rigorous and demanding liberal arts education that includes language, literature, writing, science, history, mathematics, the arts, technology, and exploration in disciplines designed to teach fairness, justice, respect and compassion for themselves and others, as well as the skills of critical thinking, communication and research.

Williamsburg Charter High School provides a broad liberal arts academic program to the high-school age youth of north Brooklyn. School programs are individualized to connect to each student’s particular level of development, including English Language Learners and students with Special Education Services. Further, WCHS provides supportive relationships with faculty, extended instructional periods, and opportunities after-school and on Saturdays for additional academic support. Social and emotional support is also available to students to ensure their non-academic needs are addressed. Students are accepted to WCHS through a random lottery with no minimum requirements, tests, or auditions required to gain entrance and, as a public charter school, there is no tuition.

The Williamsburg Charter High Schools seeks out individuals who:

• Are committed to providing students with a highly rigorous academic experience.
• Enjoy working in a highly collaborative, professional setting as well as independently.
• Are sensitive to the unique needs of the community they serve as well as the complex issues that are present for urban youth and their families.
• Engage a youth development approach in their interactions with young people by being sensitive to the developmental needs of individual students.
• Are passionate and positive about school culture.
• Take full responsibility for students’ achievement.
• Act as professional role models for students.
• Are reflective and willing to improve upon their practice through professional development and support.
• Manage time, resources, and technology effectively to ensure that they can complete all required responsibilities.
• Use objective data as well as anecdotal information to gauge student performance.
• See their work as a career and a lifestyle, not just as a job.  They should be willing to take time before and after school to complete their responsibilities such as lesson planning, supporting struggling students, and grading student work.
• Believe deeply in the transformative power of education for all students, families, and educators.