By the end of the 2012-2013 school year, the Aldine ISD and YES Prep Public Schools boards approved a collaboration between the two organizations. Aldine is a public school district serving over 70,000 students, and YES Prep is a charter school management organization serving nearly 10,000 students. In 2010 and 2014, YES Prep received Charter [...]
As the focus of policymakers and philanthropic funders has shifted from post-secondary access to post-secondary access and success, researchers have begun to investigate more deeply the specific effects of rising college costs, increasing debt, and the impact of financial aid on degree completion. This report describes the sources and types of financial aid available [...]
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned FSG to explore the challenges low-income young adults face in accessing and using financial aid and the related trends contributing to inequality in post-secondary education today, as well as potential approaches to helping students overcome these barriers. To do so, FSG interviewed national and state experts on [...]
Two Rivers Public Charter School is a high-performing PK-8 school located in Washington, D.C. More than three dozen parents from the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood founded the school, which was awarded its charter by the D.C. Public Charter School Board in August 2003 and opened in the fall of 2004. The school has grown from [...]
This paper is intended for use by district and charter representatives interested in establishing a new collaboration or in increasing the effectiveness of an existing collaboration. The paper presents our methodology, an overview of the nature of district-charter collaborations, and a framework based on lessons learned from leaders involved in various capacities over the [...]
Alma del Mar (“Soul of the Sea”) Charter School is a K-8 Expeditionary Learning public charter school that opened in August 2011 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Alma del Mar is committed to setting all of the students on a college trajectory and challenging them to be service-minded leaders. By engaging in a rigorous academic [...]
This report, authored by Safal Partners and Public Impact, investigates the legal parameters that charter schools need to be aware of as they attempt to serve the needs of ELs. Specific areas explored by the paper include: Federal and State Legal Framework Requirements and Issues Related to EL Data Reporting Policy Implications at Federal [...]
Accessing affordable facilities has long been identified as one of the most significant challenges facing charter schools. In response to this challenge, an array of policy and market-based approaches has emerged over the years. Examples of these approaches include: public and private credit enhancement, tax-exempt bond financing, community development lending, commercial facilities development, state [...]
English Learner (EL) students are the fastest growing demographic group among school children in the United States, with the number of ELs in K-12 public schools increasing by about 14% from 2002-03 to 2010-11. Research and practice suggest that greater family engagement with schools can be a critical lever for ensuring the academic success [...]
Charter Schools and Military Communities: A Toolkit features information on charter schools serving the needs of military families and tools to help additional military communities strengthen their local school options with new charter schools. Over the past decade, a variety of charter schools have opened to serve military-connected children and families in diverse locations [...]