Winning for Kids
THE NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOLS INSTITUTE is a mission-driven, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose core purpose is to inspire and democratize excellence in education.
Our team is made up of passionate professionals who thrive on empowering people to grow and achieve more than they think possible. We know education. We’ve served as teachers, school leaders, board members, authorizers, association executives, and leaders of business and technology. We believe in the transformative power of education and we want all people to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.
We have a long history with the charter schools movement. Founded in 1995 as the Michigan Resource Center for Charter Schools, our original mission was to support and guide the implementation of Michigan’s newly adopted charter schools law. Based on our impact and the rapid growth of chartering, the United States Congress provided $1 million in 2001 for the Resource Center to transition into the Institute and expand our services nationally.
Today, we provide a range of training and support for people and organizations in the charter community—from policymakers to authorizers to school operators—who are serious about helping students. Epicenter, our digital compliance and performance management platform, is working in 27 states and the District of Columbia, helping streamline the oversight and reporting process for over 1,500 schools, thereby allowing them to focus more time and energy impacting the lives of more than 500,000 of our nation’s kids. Our coaching and consulting work, along with our speaking engagements, places us on the front line supporting the thinkers and doers who are giving their all to advance excellence for our kids and our country.
Our heart
We are a team of passionate professionals that thrives on empowering people to grow and achieve more than they think possible. We believe in the transformative power of education and want all people to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.
Our core purpose
To inspire and democratize excellence in education.
Our mission
We inspire, equip, and support people and organizations dedicated to improving education for our kids and our country.
Our vision
We envision a wise and virtuous nation that embraces the transformative power of education and equips all students to learn, grow, and pursue their dreams.
Our values
We value people and relationships and are relentless about fulfilling our promises and treating people with respect. Our success comes from the success of our partners and the students they serve. We strive to uphold the virtues of wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage and follow the “golden rule” in all we do. We truly believe in the principles and practices we teach and value the passionate pursuit of greatness.
The Institute Story
Kids! They are the WHY behind all we do. Our vision is for every student to discover their gifts and experience the transformative power of education.
That’s why we want everyone in our movement to passionately pursue excellence. Since our founding as a non-profit in 1995, we have been relentless about encouraging, equipping and supporting the needs of schools, boards and authorizers.
Our impact is nationwide. Our team has run schools, served on governing boards, led authorizing agencies, advised policymakers, testified before Congress and more.
We continuously invest our collective experience and expertise into our programs, tools and services. We promise to evolve them as needs change. What will never change is our commitment to the kids and those who serve them.
We invite you to join us. Together, we will change the arc of education.
The Institute Way
The National Charter Schools Institute is a values-driven, mission-focused organization that believes in the transformative power of education. We pursue excellence and want our IMPACT to be distinctive, dynamic and enduring. This is why our team is composed of passionate professionals – people who embrace and strive to live our values and let them guide and measure our behaviors, decisions and actions. This is what you should expect from us.
