Dear Friends and Partners,

 

Making sure parents have the right to choose the best public school for their children is just common sense. That’s why FCCS stands for educational solutions, like charter schools, that uplift our Black and Brown communities. We want every child to have access to great public school options. Because we know one of the most concrete ways to break the cycle of poverty, provide economic mobility and change life outcomes for generations of families - is access to a great education.

 

In October, we took significant strides towards our mission of championing school choice and giving a voice to our families and schools.

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When a report was finally released this month on authorizing practices by the Philadelphia School District (PSD), we joined our local coalition partners at the African American Charter School Coalition (AACSC) to hold the district accountable. FCCS called on PSD to take immediate action to ensure that current and future authorizing processes and decisions are fair, transparent, and equitable for all charter schools, regardless of their racial or ethnic composition. Though the report concluded there was no evidence of ‘intentional’ racial bias, it does not absolve the district of its responsibility to change its authorizing practices.

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Working in coalition is powerful. And I am thankful for our broad community of partners and education advocates who are committed to ensuring our most marginalized students have access to great public schools.

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The Inaugural Yass Summit celebrated the educators, community leaders, and more

who are delivering innovative education to millions of students. I had the pleasure of

being on a panel discussion on school choice and state policy, and was joined by two

members of our board at the event, including Board Chair, Dr. Steve Perry and

Cris Gulacy-Worrel. You can check out a few highlights from the event here.

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Thank you to Jen Alexander and the PIE team for putting on another amazing PIE Summit

(shout out to cohort 7!) that challenged our thinking and united us in our common purpose

on behalf of kids. And congratulations to this year’s Eddie Award Winners!

 

As we move forward, there are several exciting initiatives in the pipeline:

 

• Community Engagement Campaigns: Our commitment to amplifying the voices of

       families remains unwavering. Check out our digital toolkit and get involved in the

       #FightToChoose campaign today! And look for fresh campaigns and opportunities to get involved in the new year. 

• Advocacy Workshops: We are planning a series of advocacy workshops to equip our schools and communities with the knowledge, skills and resources to be effective advocates for school choice. 

• FCCS School Visits: So far, FCCS engaged with 118 schools, serving 47,000 students and the numbers are growing. We are planning visits with more schools in our network to connect with school leaders and their school communities. These visits will give us a deeper understanding of the challenges and successes in our education ecosystem.

 

We know it’s possible to reimagine education for Black and Brown families who desperately want greater access to more quality school choices. And we’re calling on elected leaders to make these choices available with policy and support that will expand options and enhance the academic, social, and emotional well-being of our students. We will continue to authentically engage families and school communities in decisions that directly impact them.

 

FCCS seeks to leverage agency and power as our Northstar in advocating for good school options.

 

In solidarity, 

 

Jay

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