People For People Charter School PSSA Pep Rally to Celebrate The School's "Whole Child" Learning Culture

WHO

People For People Charter School (PFPCS) leadership and TLC/MTSS staff, and scholars (K–8).

WHAT

People For People Charter School is hosting two PSSA pep rallies on Monday to demonstrate schoolwide support for scholars who are set to take the state assessments.

But for PFPCS, the pep rally represents more than supporting students about to take a state test. It is a celebration of the school's unique culture of educating the whole child—a culture that this year has resulted in 250 scholars graduating from this year's TLC program.

WHEN

Monday, April 20, 2026

WHERE

WHY

The TLC—short for Teaching & Learning Center and affectionately known as "tender loving care"—functions both as a high-dosage academic learning center and a supportive, affirming space. The center is a caring response that goes well over and above the state's requirements for a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) program, structured as a tight collaboration among school leadership, classroom teachers, intervention specialists, scholars, and families, all aligned around individual growth goals. More than 200 scholars per day receive 30-minute, small group, individualized instruction, usually three times a week, during a dedicated schoolwide intervention block.

Through PFPCS's TLC program:

• More than 200 scholars per day receive small group, individualized instruction during a dedicated intervention block,
• Scholars are diagnosed three times a year (fall, winter, spring) and progress is monitored every two weeks,
• Students who meet their growth goals participate in an exciting celebration, which 250 scholars have done this year.

The TLC room is thoughtfully and purposefully designed to project an aura of warmth and welcome. Rather than a test prep room or "pull out" space, People For People Charter School leaders opted to build a special environment where participating scholars:

• Are met where they are academically and emotionally,
• Build confidence and academic ownership (many can quote their own growth scores), and
• Experience a joyful environment where they want to be, complete with relationship building, positive routines, and growth celebrations.

"Today's pep rally is a celebration of our students' growth, as much as it is to support those about to take the PSSA. Our staff meets scholars where they are and guides them on their path to progress. That's what educating the whole child and advancing equity look like in practice." — Pri Seebadri, CEO, People For People Charter School

BACKGROUND

At a charter school where students coming from traditional schools arrive performing multiple grade levels behind, PFPCS has built a high-dosage, high-impact support system that:

• Focuses intentionally on Tier 2 and Tier 3 scholars—often the "least, last, and lost" in traditional, proficiency-only systems,
• Ensures no scholar is forgotten, thanks to systematic diagnostics, progress monitoring, and targeted intervention,
• Builds confidence and academic ownership, with students able to state their scores, describe their growth, and set their own goals,
• Engages families, who now reach out asking how they can help their children qualify for TLC growth celebrations and events,
• Is driven by a tight collaboration among school leadership, classroom teachers, intervention specialists, scholars, and families, and
• Demonstrates how a public school can place equity and growth front and center while maintaining separate, robust services for students with IEPs (TLC is not special education and does not replace special education programming).