Several large national foundations have been identified with the K-12 public school reform movement, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation and Broad Foundation. Less visible or well known may be the place-based local and regional funders who have also waded into this often controversial fray.
For our new initiative, Philamplify, NCRP recently assessed the grantmaking of the Philadelphia-based William Penn Foundation, which some stakeholders had criticized for its perceived multi-million dollar investment in alternatives to traditional public schools, including charter and private schools. A new report points to one reason why some public education advocates are leery of charters: they are often subject to fewer rules and less oversight than district schools.
The Center for Popular Democracy and Integrity in Education investigated questionable activities in 15 states with high concentrations of charter schools. Their report, Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud, and Abuse, observes that at least $100 million in public tax dollars (which funded the charters) have been lost to waste, fraud and abuse. A number of these cases occurred in Philadelphia. The report notes:
“For example, in 2012, the former CEO and founder of the New Media Technology Charter School in Philadelphia was sentenced to prison for stealing $522,000 in taxpayer money to prop up a restaurant, a health food store and a private school.”
During our research, the William Penn Foundation informed NCRP that the majority of its grants support evidence-based reforms in traditional public schools. Also, the foundation-funded Philadelphia School Partnership is committed to funding only high-quality schools serving low-income students, whether public, private or charter.
But what about the low-performing and poorly managed charter schools in Philadelphia and other parts of Pennsylvania? Should local foundations that genuinely care about education equity, like William Penn, actively support stronger public regulation and oversight of all charters (and district schools) in their region?
Based on the input of community leaders and education advocates, NCRP recommended that William Penn “…exercise leadership to help ensure all low-income and marginalized students have access to a good education, including by promoting strong accountability across all K–12 education providers in the city.”
What do you think the William Penn Foundation should do? Watch our video and join the conversation in the comments section!
Lisa Ranghelli is the director of foundation assessment for NCRP.
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