Neighborhood House Charter School
Danean Balestrieri is an experienced educator with a demonstrated history of designing and implementing standards-based curriculum tailored for students with diverse learning needs. Currently serving as a Teacher-At-Large at Neighborhood House Charter School since August 2016, Danean excels in managing Individualized Education Plans with full compliance and providing targeted small group interventions for students in grades 2-7. Previous roles include Group Leader at MGH Aspire and Teaching Fellow at Neighborhood House Charter School, where skills in social support, behavior management, and curriculum development were further honed. Danean's leadership experience spans from serving as a Senior Counselor at Silver Point Beach Club Day Camp to Team Leader and Corps Member at City Year, showcasing a strong commitment to mentoring and educational excellence. Danean holds a Master’s Degree in Assistive Special Education Technology from Simmons College and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Neighborhood House Charter School
One of the very first charter schools in Massachusetts, NHCS opened its doors in 1995 with 51 students and a bold vision to become a beacon of educational excellence in a city of too many failing schools. Today, NHCS serves over 700 mostly low-income students of color in one of Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods. Our students’ performance on the MCAS – Massachusetts’ state-wide test which is administered annually to all 3rd-8th graders (and, at the high school level, 10th graders) – has earned us a reputation as one of the best public schools in the state. Neighborhood House Charter School combines rich and structured learning with extensive social/emotional programming to help all our students succeed in school and in life. We strive to develop scholars who seek knowledge, embrace effort, act thoughtfully, and commit to the common good. Many children come to us with significant needs. We don’t give up on them. Our goal is that all of our students thrive at Neighborhood House, graduate from high school, and pursue post-secondary education on the path to achieve life success.