Working with Communities to Build Schools Where All Students Thrive

In partnership with grassroots leaders and statewide decision-makers, Groundswell is building out an ecosystem where local communities and educators have the support and resources they need to design and sustain effective alternative schools for the students that need them the most.

Some of the best alternative school leaders and founders in the country are in New York, and this group of proven innovators is working with Groundswell to launch a Community of Practice where the most successful programs and models will be codified and shared. This group is also exploring ways to collectively engage with state-level leaders to ensure that the needs and voices of students and families in alternative schools have an impact on important policy decisions.

The Oakland Unified School District and data scientists from Education Analytics are working with Groundswell to develop a new framework for understanding school performance. This “Needs Index” is designed to help district-level leaders better understand which schools are having the most positive impact on vulnerable sub-groups such as English Learners or special needs students.