Courtesy of The 74 Million
https://www.the74million.org/
Transcript
In 2012, the Charter School Growth Fund recognized a lack of diversity among its portfolio leaders, despite the majority of students being of color. To address this, they launched the Emerging CMO Fund in 2013 with support from the Walton Family Foundation. The fund aimed to support high-performing schools led by entrepreneurs of color, providing resources to expand their impact. Initial grantees included schools like the Bronx Charter School of Excellence and Voices Academy, led by women of color. Over three years, the fund added 14 schools, emphasizing community integration and innovative teaching methods. The goal was to recognize and support existing leaders of color, not just create new ones.
Action Items
- [ ] Identify and connect with more high-performing charter school leaders of color who are looking to scale their schools.
- [ ] Explore opportunities to support the growth of successful dual-language immersion and inquiry-based learning models in the portfolio.
- [ ] Expand the fund’s focus to include more high-quality charter schools in rural communities, not just urban areas.
Outline
Diversity and Leadership in Charter Schools
- Darryl recounts a 2012 meeting where he noticed a lack of diversity among the leadership of charter schools, despite the majority of students being of color.
- The Charter School Growth Fund identified a need to support high-quality leaders of color who were producing excellent student results.
- The fund aimed to find and support entrepreneurs of color leading high-performing schools to help them scale their operations.
- Initial funding in 2014 included schools led by women of color, each achieving results comparable to other funded organizations.
Early Successes and Funding Goals
- The first year fund class in 2014 included five schools led by women of color, each with a vision for growth.
- Dr. Charlene Reed’s Bronx Charter School of Excellence, Malka Varejo’s Equitas Community Schools, Francis Tess’s Voices Academy, Margaret Fortune’s Fortune Charter Schools, and Chantelle Wright’s Achievement Prep were funded.
- The fund’s goal was to help these leaders open more schools, not necessarily to grow each entity to a large network.
- The fund aimed to provide better resources to help these leaders open their next great school or schools.
Voices Academy and Community Integration
- Darryl visited Voices Academy in San Jose, a dual language immersion school, and was impressed by the students’ ability to switch between Spanish and English.
- The school’s approach involved teaching academic subjects in both languages, fostering a comfortable environment for students to perform at high levels.
- Darryl observed students tutoring each other in both languages, creating a unique learning environment.
- The Bronx Charter School of Excellence, led by Dr. Charlene Reed, was fully integrated into the community, with mutual respect from all members.
Expansion and Diversification of the Fund
- The fund has added 14 schools over a three-year period, including five more organizations last year.
- Dr. Emilio Pack’s Stem College Prep in Los Angeles was added, teaching with an inquiry-based approach.
- Darryl observed a remedial algebra class at Stem College Prep, where students were actively engaged in solving multi-day problems.
- Eric Sanchez’s Henderson Collegiate in rural Henderson, North Carolina, was also added, proving that high-quality education can succeed in rural areas.
Importance of Leadership Reflecting Community Backgrounds
- Darryl emphasized the need for leadership to reflect the communities they serve, acknowledging the importance of this representation.
- The fund’s initial hypothesis focused on leaders of color who led schools with students of similar backgrounds.
- The goal was to recognize and support these leaders who were already doing excellent work, rather than just creating new leaders.
- The fund aimed to provide opportunities for these leaders to serve more students in the schools and organizations they had built.
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