Become a Member
Our membership represents over 200 individual schools serving over 90,000 students.
Citizens of the World, Kansas City, MO • Photo by katemoorephotography
Join the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition
Our application process is designed to find member schools and networks that are committed to recruiting, enrolling, and serving a diverse and integrated school community reflective of their broader community.
We are looking for schools that demonstrate thoughtful work to promote high academic outcomes for students of all backgrounds; hire and train a diverse group of teachers and leaders; create a school culture in which all students and families feel welcomed, respected, and included; and confront institutional racism.
We see school integration as ongoing work. Our member schools don’t have all the answers; rather, we seek members that are reflective about their own strengths and challenges in the areas outlined above and are committed to striving to improve their efforts and outcomes with respect to diversity and equity.
Note that we’re not currently accepting membership inquiries from schools still in the process of receiving approval for their school creation. However, we’d still love to hear from you via the survey. You can also get updates about the Coalition by signing up for our Newsletter.
Membership Requirements
Basic Requirements
- A prospective member school must be an independent site charter school or a CMO that operates at least one charter school.
- A prospective member school must serve grades Pre-K-12 (in any configuration).
- A prospective member must be founded as a brick-and-mortar school.
- A prospective member must be under non-profit governance and operated by a non-profit entity.
- A prospective member school must be operating under a current charter and must have students enrolled or must be enrolling its first class within one year of submitting an application.
- A prospective member school must be in good standing with its authorizer.
- DCSC accepts charter schools in the United States including all 50 states, its federal district, and territories.
Diversity Standards
- Diversity: Students, staff and board members are representative of a diverse group of identities, backgrounds and experiences and have the opportunity to have daily interaction and form deep relationships
- Equity: School’s diversity goals and strategies are connected to the larger goal of achieving equity in student outcomes
- Inclusion: Reflects and works in collaboration with the various socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, language, gender, and disability groups within the school community to foster positive school climate and culture which incorporates anti-racism
Membership Benefits
Annual Convening
All staff at DCSC member schools register for our Annual Convening — the leading gathering of the diverse-by-design movement — at the member rate. DCSC members are also given early access to registration before the general public.
Communities of Practice
DCSC offers its preeminent professional development for free to staff at DCSC member schools. Members are able to participate in any number of Communities of Practice and may send any staff.
UnifiED School Launch Fellowship
Schools and networks apart of the Coalition in good standing can serve as a host site for our UnifiED school launch fellows and can participate in this leadership development which includes excellent school visits (ESVs) throughout the year.
DCSC Diverse-by-Design Jobs Board
DCSC’s jobs board is the only national jobs board exclusively for diverse-by-design schools. DCSC members are given free access to post unlimited job opportunities.
Joining the Diverse-by-Design movement
By joining the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, you are joining a national conversation with other school leaders who are also intently focused on school integration. As a member of DCSC, you can help us craft the narrative of diverse-by-design schools and intentional integration.
Membership Dues
We make every effort to center equity in our work. So we’ve developed a model for annual membership dues that accounts for state funding and school size.
| State Per Pupil Funding (in SY 21-22) | School Enrollment Level | |||||
| 1-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 | 751-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001+ | |
| <$10,000 | $1,000 | $1,250 | $1,500 | $1,750 | $2,250 | $2,500 |
| $10,000 - $12,000 | $1,250 | $1,500 | $1,750 | $2,000 | $3,000 | $3,500 |
| $12,000 - $15,000 | $1,500 | $1,750 | $2,00 | $2,250 | $3,500 | $7,500 |
| +$15,000 | $1,750 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $3,500 | $4,500 | $8,500 |
How to Apply
DCSC currently holds two application cycles:
- Our fall application launches in September with schools being notified of a decision in January.
- Our spring application launches in March with schools being notified of a decision in June.
If you’re interested in applying for membership:
- Complete the interest form
- You will be contacted before the start of our next application cycle (you can also follow up at info@diversecharters.org)
- You will receive a Membership application which requests information on:
– Your school’s vision and commitment to DEI
– Your school’s student, teacher and leadership demographics
– Your school’s student achievement data (from the most recent administered state test or internal assessment) - Your application will be reviewed by DCSC’s team and membership committee with final approval resting with the full DCSC board
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