Promote the Promise of Intentionally Diverse Charter Schools

Local, state, and national leaders champion the positive impact of intentionally diverse charter schools by adopting critical policies that promote and create the conditions for high-quality, intentionally diverse charter schools to thrive.

“We don’t have a choice; we must use our voices to advocate for equitable, public education for all students. Like Summit, DCSC members are powerful examples of what is possible in intentionally diverse schools and together, we can win.”

TIFFANY REYNOLDS 

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, SUMMIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Our Strategies

Partner with localized advocacy organizations and media within advocacy-ready states to support state/local advocacy.
Partner with authorizers to understand, support, advance, and expand intentionally diverse charter schools.
Partner with aligned organizations to author and support a shared advocacy agenda.
Support members, through an advocacy community of practice and responsive measures, to implement state and/or local advocacy strategies.
Share impact stories of the coalition to communicate the positive impact of intentionally diverse charter schools

Our Policy Priorities

Weighted Lotteries

Allow schools to weight lotteries and set enrollment preferences for disadvantaged/marginalized students to ensure schools can develop the diverse student populations their mission requires

Open Enrollment

Allow families and students to select schools that best fit them regardless of where they live or where the school is located

Transportation Funding

Provide dedicated public dollars for transportation directly to schools, to support and increase diversity of student population

Advocacy in Action

Transportation Funding: Nevada

“One of the constant equity barriers in school choice is access, primarily driven by the ability for a family to get their child to a school that might not be in the immediate geographic area. With the new transportation funding, this barrier is mitigated. There is much more work to do, but the funding foundation is a great start for infrastructure to be built.” - Justin Brecht, Executive Director, Nevada Rise Academy

Law: Assembly Bill 400 appropriated $7 million to the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) for each year of the upcoming biennium (the 2023-24 school year and the 2024-25 school year) to award to charter schools to fund student transportation. Pursuant to Assembly Bill 400, any charter school in the State of Nevada, regardless of sponsor (SPCSA or school district) may apply for transportation funding.

Weighted Lotteries: Washington, DC

“When we opened for the 2011-2012 school year we welcomed a diverse group of families and about 140 students. As our reputation has grown our diversity has lessened. Today our demographics reflect the changing demographics of the city, but do not mirror the demographics of our city’s children. Making a weighted lottery preference available for charter schools is essential to ensuring that charter schools enroll a diverse community of learners including our city’s neediest children.” - Deborah Dantzler Williams, founding Head of School, Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School

Law: Expanding Equitable Access to Great Schools Act of 2020 (B23-0717) passed on December 7, 2020, aimed to expand equitable access to public charter schools in Washington D.C. for at-risk students. The bill was approved by the Public Charter School Board upon its passage.

Open Enrollment: Utah

“Open enrollment is a game-changer for schools like ours! It empowers families to choose the best educational fit for their child, bringing a wonderful diversity of perspectives to our classrooms. This rich exchange fosters cultural understanding and pushes us to constantly improve, creating a vibrant learning community where all students can thrive. It also gives an opportunity to the underserved communities to attend high quality programs to have a better chance to fulfill their dreams. Open enrollment allows us to create a vibrant learning community where students from all backgrounds can learn, grow, and prepare for success together." - Hanifi Oguz, Executive Director, Beehive Science Technology Academy, Sandy, Utah

Law: Utah code 53G-6-402 mandates that local school boards ensure transportation services are available for students residing within the district who choose to attend a charter school. Moreover, it states that local school boards can use existing transportation budgets to cover these costs and highlights the need for equitable funding, ensuring that transportation provisions for charter school students are comparable to those provided for traditional public school students.