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This is Part IV in a series dedicated to National Charter Schools Week

“Taking my daughter to ‪@ECOTSchool . This school is the best ‪#homeschool. Cool how we met some awesome people there.”

“The ‪#ecot ‪#masqueradeball ‪#prom is underway! @ Hilton Columbus Polaris”

“Check out the new ‪#ECOTtv promo for the upcoming 2014 ‪#scienceexpo here: ‪http://ecot.me/2014sciencexpo . We can’t wait to see all your experiments!”

The above three tweets were taken from the Twitter account of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), a fully online charter school in Ohio where students virtually access their education as opposed to reporting to a physical location.

At first glance, messages about meeting new people, a senior prom, and an upcoming science expo are not often associated with a virtual school. But ECOT, along with online schools like it, shatter misconceptions that online students have limited social interactions, among other myths about the virtual charter experience.

Since opening in 2000, ECOT has had over 10,000 students graduate, increasing enrollment with each passing year. Students take online courses based on their own schedule, and take the same state standardized tests as their traditional school peers.

Because of its fully online format, while at the same time being supplemented with teachers and counselors, ECOT fulfills an important niche for students who do better online for a number of reasons.

These reasons can range from students who process information better through online content, those who have unique circumstances and schedules, or sometimes those who may have been subjected to bullying in a traditional school, but now thrive virtually.

In recent years, it’s become apparent that online and blended education is here to stay, with an estimated four million plus students nationwide taking part in some sort of online-based learning method.

ECOT is just one of many online learning charters taking education into the 21^st century.

This is Part III in a series dedicated to National Charter Schools Week, and to community members and parents everywhere who mobilize to improve education for their children.

Upon hearing that their local elementary school was closing, parents and community members of small town Spartansburg, PA decided to take matters into their own hands to make sure their kids still have a viable, local school option.

So, they decided to start the process for opening a charter school, and even went so far as to decide it should have a unique agricultural focus.

In a true showing of grassroots and community spirit, the neighborhood fire department hosted an auction and bake sale in support of the charter school, one of several fundraisers slated to take place (let’s not forget, after all, that charter schools get 37 percent less funding than traditional public schools).

Fully aware of the long road before them and funding inequity, the people of Spartansburg are doing what many aspiring and current charter school leaders are compelled to do, which is get creative and improvise when it comes to securing funding.

Financial challenges such as obtaining public funds to cover facility costs is an issue with which charter operators are all too familiar, caused mainly by inherent flaws in state charter school legislation.

Numerous media reports tend to focus on how charter schools are transforming education for the better in urban centers. While it’s important not to overlook these successes, it’s also critical to note that parents in rural and small town settings can also demand input and influence in education, and Parent Power is a civil right that expands to major cities and beyond.

The inspiring efforts in Spartansburg epitomize the concept of a parent-driven charter school, and why charter laws at the state level need to be structurally reformed to meet growing demand.

Part II in a series dedicated to National Charter Schools Week

 99 percent.

That was the rate at which 2012 graduating seniors at Boys’ Latin Charter School in West Philadelphia were accepted into colleges across the United States.

Quite fittingly, Boys’ Latin is a self-described college preparatory high school, and judging by college acceptance and matriculation rates, educators make good on that promise.

Like all charter schools, Boys’ Latin was founded with a clear vision in mind of what  could provide a productive educational experience to students in need.  Young men, 78 percent of whom qualify for free and reduced price lunch, attend a four-week academy the summer before their freshman year.

Additionally, students take Latin throughout their four years of high school. In fact, fifteen students were awarded performance medals on the National Latin Exam in 2011. If Ancient Romans time-traveled to 21^st century America and needed to be interpreted, it wouldn’t hurt to point them to West Philadelphia.

Boys’ Latin families have access to an expansive college-advising department to help navigate the path to apply the wealth of knowledge obtained from the previous four years.

Pioneers of the school, including school CEO David Hardy, responded to a distinct need for helping the young men of Philly who stand to benefit from the Boys’ Latin high expectations for both academics as well as character development.

The positive impact of an institution such as Boys’ Latin is extraordinary, and the commitment to excellence that goes beyond the classroom is nothing short of commendable.

Part I in a series dedicated to National Charter Schools Week

In 1997, following the passage of the DC School Reform Act that set the stage for the robust charter school environment in the nation’s capital, reform visionary and CER Board Member Donald Hense saw the need to improve education for locally impoverished students.

Six years later, Friendship Collegiate Academy produced its first-ever graduating class, which continued on average to have an over 90 percent graduation rate in each subsequent year.

Since their openings, Friendship campuses have helped students demonstrate substantial gains in math and reading proficiency, with high school graduates enrolling in college at an average rate of 80 percent.

Bettering student outcomes is something Friendship strives to do beyond its school walls; the network looks to enhance education for all students, especially those in surrounding neighborhoods, which is why Friendship educators and leaders have several ongoing partnerships with traditional public schools in both DC and Baltimore, MD.

To be a Friendship student goes further than mastering school subjects. It’s about embracing a set of core values that have a proven track record of helping students acquire a love of learning and turn themselves into responsible citizens.

As the District of Columbia continues to improve as a vibrant urban center, Friendship schools have been a consistent driving force, playing an integral role in neighborhood revitalization and giving students a new lease on pursuing a quality education.

Public schools, both charter and traditional, stand to benefit from the shining example provided by Friendship PCS.