New Schools Development Work

New charter schools must be strong before they open their doors. The movement depends on high-quality, academically rigorous schools that comply with their charters. As advocates whose goal is more excellent schools for children, we place an emphasis on working with new charter school founding teams as they navigate the approval process. Our staff really gets to know the founding teams well, making our new schools development work critical, ensuring applications are complete, rigorous, and ready to withstand the most intense processes. This allows us to offer meaningful and effective services that reflect the founding team’s vision. 

ECC's team has worked through the new school process in multiple states and have years of experience to draw upon as we customize a plan to meet your needs! As of 2024, we have a success record of 100 percent. That’s right – every new or renewal application since our inception has been approved. Of course, no outcome is guaranteed but we ensure applicant teams and schools are entirely prepared for every next step. We also do something many do not: we will tell you if you are simply not ready to submit, and we will create a timeline for your team to follow to ensure readiness.

New Schools Services

Empire Charter Consultants offers a comprehensive package that includes each of the steps and services below. Whether you need a lot of guidance, or just a little advice, we can create a package just for you, utilizing our array of talented charter school consultants.

· To start, our team conducts a personalized assessment of your mission, vision, and the story of your founding team. 

· Next, we help you develop a deep understanding of the charter school law in your state, the authorizing environment, and what steps are necessary to accomplish your dream of opening a new school.

· Using the information gathered in steps one and two, we coach you through a needs assessment based on the charter application and the strengths and weaknesses of your team. This allows us to collaboratively create a plan to get you on track for approval.

· Application writing comes next. We can provide an in-depth review and feedback of what your team has already written or write the application. 

· Throughout the process, we prioritize ongoing Board and leadership training and development, including training Board members on governance and the role of the Board, and the importance of strategic planning and decision-making. 

· We help you develop strategies to keep the school on track for approval, including relationship-building.

· We conduct mock interviews and preparation sessions for the capacity interview.

Do you need help with something that isn’t listed above? Call us – we have a team of veteran charter school consultants who can help!