How is Aspire different from other charter schools?
In the decade since the first charter legislation, most charter schools were founded and run by a small group of parents or teachers who wanted to serve a particular neighborhood in a particular way. These stand-alone schools created by brave, determined and sometimes seemingly super-human individuals. Because it’s so hard to start a charter school, it makes sense for mere mortals to work together with others who have complementary areas of expertise. Increasingly, many of the new charter schools are being started by “charter management organizations” (CMO’s): organizations that establish and run multiple schools. Aspire is widely considered the leading not-for-profit CMO.
