Great Public Schools Now

Great Public Schools Now
Name	Great Public Schools Now
Founded	2008
Founder	Reed Hastings
Type	Nonprofit advocacy network
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Key people	Reed Hastings, Carrie Walton Penner, Tina Tchen
Area served	United States
Focus	Charter school expansion, school turnaround, education reform
Revenue	Nonprofit grants and philanthropic donations

Great Public Schools Now is a nonprofit advocacy network that promotes expansion and improvement of charter schools in the United States with a concentrated focus on urban districts such as Oakland, California and Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2008 during a period of intensified debate involving Bill Gates, The Walton Family Foundation, and other education funders, the organization operates at the intersection of philanthropic actors like The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and municipal stakeholders including Oakland Unified School District and Los Angeles Unified School District. Its work engages with policy debates shaped by landmark events and decisions such as the Vergara v. California litigation, the expansion of No Child Left Behind Act waivers, and state-level charter laws in California and New York (state).

History

Great Public Schools Now developed amid a wave of charter growth catalyzed by actors including Reed Hastings, Michelle Rhee, Eli Broad, and Laurene Powell Jobs. Early activity intersected with initiatives like the Race to the Top competition and responses to federal actions such as the Every Student Succeeds Act. The group coordinated with local authorizers such as the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education and national networks like KIPP and Summit Public Schools, while engaging philanthropic partners including The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Walton Family Foundation. Its timeline reflects national controversies around charter authorization and accountability exemplified by disputes similar to those involving Newark Public Schools and the Itinerant charter litigation movements in cities like Chicago, Illinois and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mission and Goals

The stated mission centers on increasing access to high-quality publicly funded charter schools for underserved communities, aligning goals with outcomes emphasized by researchers from institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and the Brookings Institution. It aims to influence local governance mechanisms like school boards and to partner with authorizers including State Charter School Boards and municipal agencies in Oakland and Los Angeles. Strategic objectives reference performance metrics used by agencies including U.S. Department of Education and evaluation frameworks from organizations such as Annenberg Institute for School Reform and RAND Corporation.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs have included support for charter authorization pipelines, facilities acquisition efforts mirroring strategies used by New Schools Venture Fund and advocacy campaigns akin to those by StudentsFirst. Initiatives have ranged from grantmaking for charter facilities financing to technical assistance models used by networks like Success Academy Charter Schools and Uncommon Schools. The organization has also participated in local ballot measure campaigns comparable to Measure J (Oakland) and facility financing similar to municipal bonds used by Los Angeles Unified School District for school construction. Collaborative work has been undertaken with research partners such as RAND Corporation, National Bureau of Economic Research, and Center for American Progress-linked scholars.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Leadership reflects a mix of education entrepreneurs and philanthropists, with board members drawn from networks that include Reed Hastings, Carrie Walton Penner, and executives with ties to foundations like The Broad Foundation and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Operational models have paralleled charter intermediaries such as NewSchools Venture Fund and governance frameworks used by networks like KIPP Foundation and Charter School Growth Fund. The organization liaises with local entities including the Oakland Unified School District board and state agencies in California.

Funding and Financials

Funding sources have comprised major philanthropic donors including The Walton Family Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and individual donors associated with Reed Hastings. Financial strategies have involved supporting facility funds and advocacy expenditures resembling tactics used by Democracy Alliance-affiliated philanthropies and education-focused grantmakers. Budgetary allocations echo trends seen in nonprofit intermediaries such as NewSchools Venture Fund and fiscal partnerships with charter authorizers and municipal entities.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations cite expansion of charter school seats in targeted districts, producing debates comparable to analyses of outcomes in Newark, New Jersey and Boston, Massachusetts. Academic assessments reference research traditions from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Stanford Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), and National Bureau of Economic Research. Measures of student performance, facility access, and enrollment shifts have been used to claim gains while prompting comparative studies similar to those examining KIPP and Success Academy impacts.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics affiliate the organization with contested reform agendas championed by figures like Reed Hastings and Eli Broad, echoing controversies around privatization raised by advocates such as United Teachers Los Angeles and Chicago Teachers Union. Opponents cite conflicts with traditional district governance as seen in disputes involving Oakland Unified School District and legal challenges comparable to those in Massachusetts and New York (state). Debates involve accountability concerns, community representation issues highlighted by groups like Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and labor actions by American Federation of Teachers affiliates.

Category:Education organizations based in California