Quality: Academics
Charter schools across the nation are navigating urgent challenges and at Rocky Mountain Prep (RMP), these realities are felt acutely. Over 96% of middle school students identify as students of color, more than 80% qualify for free/reduced lunch, and 1 in 5 receive special education services. Chronic absenteeism is currently 33% YTD. Meeting these challenges requires more than closing academic gaps; it means equipping students with the skills, mindsets, and relationships they need to thrive.
In fall 2025, Rocky Mountain Prep (RMP) launched a new partnership with nXu, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing purpose, durable skills, and wellbeing. All middle school students across five campuses now engage in twice-weekly nXu advisory lessons. Organized around four thematic arcs, this curriculum helps students articulate who they are, what they care about, and how to set long-term goals aligned with their personal values.
This session will share RMP’s experience with network-wide implementation, including why they chose to embed durable skills into advisory, how the rollout was designed, and what early impacts they’re seeing on students, educators, and culture. Attendees will leave with both strategic insights and concrete tools for embedding SEL, purpose, and durable skills into advisory or similar structures — without sacrificing academic time. Sample nXu lessons will be available upon request after the session.