Key Findings: Charter Schools
“The strongest early gains we observed were in schools where leaders were trusted, instructional expectations were clear, and support systems were in place from day one.” — CPRL Evaluation Report
Because the HQSF supported the launch of new charter schools, most have only been operating for a few years, and many elementary schools do not yet have students in state testing grades. It is therefore too early to draw conclusions on academic outcomes. To understand early progress, we partnered with Columbia University’s Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) on an implementation study, which identified several key findings:
3.
Leadership pipelines drive equity:
1.
Targeted supports drive early progress.
The majority of schools were led by principals of color, many of whom had deep ties to the communities they served. These leaders were more likely to engage families in meaningful ways and prioritize inclusive practices, resulting in stronger school culture and higher levels of family trust.
Several HQSF-supported schools demonstrated promising gains in early literacy and math measures based on internal assessments and qualitative evaluation work. These gains were especially notable for multilingual learners and students with disabilities, two student groups that the HQSF intentionally prioritized.
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Innovation anchored in student needs:
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Founding conditions matter.
HQSF investments enabled schools to pilot new approaches, such as dual- language instruction, co-created after-school programming, and embedded social- emotional supports. These innovations were not generic. They were designed to respond to the needs of students historically underserved by the system. Where schools combined rigorous academics with these tailored supports, CPRL observed stronger instructional quality and more consistent student engagement.
Schools that benefited from a full planning year and strong alignment between organizational leadership and the founding principals showed the fastest progress in school culture, instruction, and family engagement.
10 ROBIN HOOD HIGH-QUALITY SCHOOLS FUND REPORT
ROBIN HOOD HIGH-QUALITY SCHOOLS FUND REPORT 11
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