Network of Independent Charter Schools

The Network of Independent Charter Schools is designed to support teachers, administrators and trustees develop best practices and collaborate with one another and to help independent “mom and pop” charter schools succeed. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, it delivers a comprehensive and integrated array of services and resources—free of charge—to help improve the capacity of teachers, administrators and trustees at independent charter schools.

Why Focus on Independent Charter Schools?

Independent charter schools are unique from other public schools. These “mom and pop” schools typically have:

  • Strong roots in their communities.
  • Unique ability to address the needs of students and families within their communities.
  • Partnerships with community leaders, organizations, agencies and institutions.
  • Access to community resources to support instruction and enrichment.
  • Ability to specifically target and serve students with special needs or considerations.
  • Position as educational “outliers” that can take public schools in new and positive directions.

Independent charter schools also face serious challenges:

  • Limited access to capital and other resources.
  • Programs and policies are typically developed “from scratch” to meet specific community needs but this puts pressure on the schools to “get it right” from the start or risk losing their charter.
  • Educators and administrators in “mom and pop” charter schools often exist in isolation and lack the opportunities to communicate and collaborate with peers.

For these reasons, CEI-PEA decided to launch the Network of Independent Charter Schools in order to provide the following solutions and opportunities to the unique challenges facing these schools:

  • Facilitate the development and growth of an inter-connected national community of independent charter schools and their teachers, administrators and trustees.
  • Provide direct and customized training and technical assistance to Network Model Charter Schools in the Boston metro area and NYC.
  • Promote and facilitate collaboration and professional growth for teachers and administrators within individual charter schools across the country.
  • Support communication and community-building among teachers and administrators of the nation’s independent charter schools.
  • Connect educators virtually at independent charter schools to improve instruction and provide “mom and pop” charter schools with direct technical assistance through an Online Hotline.
  • Establish a comprehensive website that connects and supports independent charter schools nationwide.

Learn More

To learn more about the Network of Independent Charter Schools, please visit the project website at www.indiecharterschools.org or contact:

Patrice King
Assistant Director
Network of Independent Charter Schools
Center for Educational Innovation – Public Education Association
28 West 44th Street, Suite 300
New York, NY 10036
(212) 302-8800
pking@thecei-pea.org