Easter greetings, CharterFolk.
All right, CharterFolk. I kicked off the week with a post sharing a wave of under-appreciated good news emerging across CharterLand.
Clearly, there’s good news coming from many sources.
But it’s also true that a lot of it is coming from one particular source.
A mystery source.
Have a guess?
Let’s see …
We start with Austin Achieve, whose boys’ soccer team defeated a lineup of much larger high schools to win the Texas state championship …
… led by Greta Kwedar, who became the first female coach in Texas history to lead a boys’ team to a state title.
How’s that for a great story?
Next, we pivot to California, where Rocketship Fuerza was named a California Distinguished School … for the second time.
It also happens to be the school where Rocketship CEO Preston Smith sent his own kids.
Meanwhile, across its national network serving more than 10,000 Rocketeers, Rocketship schools are generating an additional 36 days of learning in both reading and math relative to local district schools.
Picking up on a trend yet, CharterFolk?
There’s also Navigator Schools, recently named the Hart Vision Charter School of the Year by the California Charter Schools Association …
… and now a new CSP grant recipient, allowing the organization to open six more schools in California.
Navigator’s not the only one getting new authority to grow in the state.
Springs Charter Schools, already serving well over 10,000 students in California and Tennessee, recently received approval from the Orange County Office of Education to open a new countywide charter school.
Springs continues to see strong enrollment growth, thanks in part to its innovative Assistant Classroom Educator program, which has now helped credential more than 50 new teachers in recent years.
And Navigator’s not the only one receiving new CSP funding, either.
Dove Charter Schools received a new grant this week to expand their offerings in Tulsa.
Ringing any bells yet, CharterFolk?
Not quite?
All right, let’s keep going — because the breakthroughs from advocacy organizations are equally impressive.
In Indiana, The Mind Trust helped push through legislation that will eliminate nearly $8,000 per pupil in funding inequity.
In Idaho, BLUUM, working with advocacy partners, helped pass a bill — recently signed by Governor Brad Little — that delivers hundreds of millions of dollars in credit enhancement to support charter school facility expansion.
In Illinois, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools’ success in the November school board elections was arguably the decisive force preventing Chicago Public Schools from entering into breathtakingly irresponsible lending practices that would have crippled the district’s finances for decades to come.
Meanwhile, the Texas Public Charter Schools Association is on the verge of a historic win on facilities funding that would be a game-changer for the entire state.
And speaking of Texas, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with all the good news coming out of Harmony Public Schools.
Incredible academic results …
… enrollment growth as robust as anywhere in CharterLand …
… and innovative approaches to recruit the next generation of educators to meet surging parent demand.
Over in Arkansas, LISA Academy keeps making news …
… hosting its STEM Festival …
… which routinely draws big crowds and big names — governors included.
Speaking of STEM, the Memphis School of Excellence just received a new STEM grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
And while it might be a stretch to say that the Colorado Schools Fund had anything to do with ed reform champion U.S. Senator Michael Bennet announcing his candidacy for Colorado Governor in 2026 …
… it would not be out of place to credit the Fund’s CEO, Lydia Hoffman, for being among the first to say:
“Something’s happening in Colorado charter schools right now.”
Something likely to keep Colorado at the forefront of the national charter school movement for years to come.
And last but not least, how can we not give credit to the National Charter Schools Institute for having the foresight to create the National Charter School Founders Library …
… which is turning out to be such a vital source of information about the history of the charter school movement as the United States Supreme Court prepares to hear a case whose reverberations will be felt across the country for decades.
So, CharterFolk …
Got it yet?
What ties all these organizations together?
Of course …
They’re all CharterFolk Organizational Subscribers.
Organizations making amazing headway themselves, but also stepping up to support efforts seeking to advance the broader charter school movement.
You know …
… things like CharterFolk?
Wouldn’t your organization want to join them?
We’d love to have you.
If you’re interested, ping me at jed@charterfolk.org and we’ll get the process going.
Meanwhile, to all our Organizational Subscribers who are making such inspiring progress with kids every day:
We thank you for your support.
And we congratulate you for all the recent progress you are making.
You are the heart of the charter school movement.
And we’re honored to stand beside you.