Submitted by acollier on
By Alison Collier
Are you frustrated with the educational options available to your child here in the District? Has your child been stuck on charter school waiting lists year after year? Are you unhappy with the school in which you currently teach? Perhaps you should consider starting your own public charter school.
Over the past 17 years of the charter school movement, many local parents and educators, frustrated with the current educational opportunities available in DC, have decided to take matters into their own hands and start a charter school. In fact, some of the highest performing charter schools today were started by DC residents who brought together a group of passionate people committed to creating a high quality school open to all students in the District.
In a previous post, I shared some of FOCUS’s insight into the process of starting a public charter school. If you have been mulling over the idea of starting a public charter school or perhaps have started forming a group of like-minded people to further develop your school design, now is the time to act! The DC Public Charter School Board recently approved their 2014 application guidelines, which means founding groups can begin writing their final application. Applications are due March 3, 2014. Though this may seem like a long time from now, designing a high-quality school and writing a strong application are no easy tasks! We recommend starting now for the 2014 application deadline.
As always, FOCUS is here to help. Contact focus@focusdc.org for a copy of our updated “Guide to Starting a Public Charter School in the District of Columbia” (available this fall) or for more information about the support services we offer, click here. Good luck!