Turnaround for Children

Turnaround for Children works with schools and districts that serve low-income communities.  Children growing up in poverty face multiple challenges that affect their health and ability to learn.  Turnaround’s operating theory is that schools can develop systems to address these challenges, helping teachers and students overcome multiple barriers to school success and creating, school cultures that promote learning, order and healthy interactions.  In December 2009, Turnaround for Children named Washington, DC as its first expansion city, with CityBridge Foundation as its lead local funder.  To learn more about Turnaround for Children’s progress in the DC Cohort, please click here.

 

Scholar Academies

Scholar Academies is a charter management organization (CMO) based in Philadelphia that recently—and successfully—led a turnaround of its original, then-struggling, Philadelphia charter school. Founded in 1999 as a middle school for nearly 200 low-income students, Young Scholars (as the organization was then known) delivered rapid academic growth and its students matriculated to many of the best high schools in the region.  In December 2010, CityBridge became Scholar Academies’ lead funder in setting up a separate DC-based affiliate, known as DC Scholars.  In the spring of 2011, eighteen applications were submitted to the Public Charter School Board and the DC Scholars Public Charter School was one of four charter schools to receive approval.  DC Scholars, which also operates Stanton Elementary in Ward 8, will open the new charter school in September 2012.