The Problem
The public education sector does not create enough opportunities for the most vulnerable students. The best alternative schools are too often seen as failing based on traditional performance metrics, and even the most impactful models are kept at the margins, under-resourced and ignored.
Our Strategy
Groundswell works with communities and sector leaders to ensure that the educational ecosystem provides the support and resources for innovative alternative schools and programs to thrive. Groundswell and its network of expert partners brings a uniquely comprehensive understanding of the interrelated elements necessary to sustain high-impact alternative schools.
Key elements of Groundswell’s strategy include:
Support communities in cultivating high-quality educational options for their highest-need students
Incubate new (and revamped) schools and programs by recruiting founders, facilitating the development of founding teams and supporting them through launch
Create conditions for success through dissemination of proven models, accountability policy reform, and community-centered school design
All of Groundswell’s work is grounded in an abiding optimism about children, including those who have suffered from punitive school discipline, and those facing significant learning and economic challenges. Groundswell and its partners are bullish on the ability of public schools – especially those grounded in the experience of students, families and educators – to serve all students well.
