“The pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for the school and the community our school serves.”
Our families have faced housing insecurities, technology challenges and disrupted learning. A disruption to in person learning has also had an impact on our students, families and staff’s social emotional health. Our most marginalized students, especially English Language learners and students with disabilities have been challenged immensely through online learning.
– Jennifer Marks, Principal
Charles H. Taylor Elementary School
Professional Bio
Ms. Marks has been involved in education for over 25 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and a minor in psychology from University of Massachusetts-Boston and she earned her master’s degree in Education from Curry College. Ms. Marks taught sixth grade math and served as a special education teacher at the James P. Timilty Middle School. She also served as an assistant principal for five years before moving on to her current role as principal of the Charles Taylor School. Ms. Marks is driven by being a change agent of providing access and opportunity for all students.
About the Taylor Community
The Taylor School is a community centered school that takes pride in providing a quality, culturally competent and rigorous education that honors the voices, histories and lived experiences of our students and families. When you walk into the Taylor school, it is a vibrant community of scholars and staff, committed to reaching their highest potential. Students bring the school to life, and as you walk through the hallways and classrooms there is a culture of excellence grounded in student voice and empowerment.
The Pandemic Impact on the Taylor
The pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for the school and the community our school serves. Our families have faced housing insecurities, technology challenges and disrupted learning. A disruption to in person learning has also had an impact on our students, families and staff’s social emotional health. Our most marginalized students, especially English Language learners and students with disabilities have been challenged immensely through online learning.
Despite this, one of the unexpected opportunities that has risen as a result of this pandemic is how much our students and teachers have grown in the use of technology. The resiliency and creativity that has been shown through a renewed focus on social and emotional health has also presented itself as an opportunity.
How will the Re-Centering Cohort help your school community?
We hope to accelerate the work we have done around social emotional health to ensure a seamless transition for students and families as we resume in person learning. We realize how much of a social impact the pandemic has had on our students, families, communities and staff. We are hoping to provide more individualized and small group sessions for students to engage with their peers and a counselor so they can talk through the supports that they need to accelerate their learning and resilience.
We would also like to use funding for professional development and inquiry based learning for our teachers so they can adequately prepare for and implement practices that will address student learning loss to accelerate student learning while working towards grade level proficiency and beyond.
