2019-2020 www.ideapublicschools.org Press Kit Our Story WHO WE ARE IDEA Public Schools believes that each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to the fastest-growing network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools in the United States. IDEA boasts national rankings on U.S. News & World Report’s annual list and the Jay Matthews Challenge Index High School Rankings formerly known as The Washington Post Rankings. IDEA serves nearly 53,000 college-bound students in 96 schools across six regions and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that thrives on the engagement of our alumni and community members as well as the financial support of individual donors, foundations, and friends of IDEA. OUR MISSION IDEA Public Schools prepares students from underserved communities for success in college and citizenship. OUR VISION To ensure students reach their potential, IDEA Public Schools will become the region’s largest creator of college graduates. ES TABLISHED GRADES STUDENT S COLLEGE-BOUND 2000 PRE-K - 12 53,000 100% IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS | PRESS KIT 2017 | 2 The Road to and Through College COLLEGE FOR ALL CHILDREN From the first day students set foot on an IDEA Public Schools campus - whether Academy or College Prep - we instill in them the expectation that they will go to college. This expectation is woven in the fabric of everything we say and do. From Pre-K to 12th grade, IDEA Public Schools is focused on sending 100% of our kids to college. MORE THAN MORE THAN 88% 34% ECONOMINALLY ENGLISH DISADVANTAGED LANGUAGE LEARNERS NEAR LY MORE THAN 1,185 STUDENTS 752 ACCEPTED TO FIRST COLLEGE IN 2019 GENERATION 100% 99.6%COLLEGE COLLEGE MATRICULATION ACCEPTANCE FOR FOR 13 YEARS 13 YEARS Results & Impact THIRTEEN CONSECUTIVE YEARS IDEA Quest College Preparatory - 16th in Texas OF 100% COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE Top 10 Charter School in Texas AND NEARLY 100% IDEA College Preparatory San Juan – 24th in MATRICULATION Texas, Top 50 High School in Texas IDEA College Preparatory Mission – 54th in Texas IDEA’s Class of 2n019 achieved IDEA College Preparatory Donna – 59th in Texas unprecedented college success this IDEA College Preparatory San Benito – 79th in year. Everyone was accepted to at least Texas one college - making this the thirteenth IDEA College Preparatory Pharr – Top 25% of consecutive year in which IDEA has Charter Schools in the Nation achieved 100% college acceptances. IDEA College Preparatory Alamo – Top 25% of Charter Schools in the Nation What’s more, IDEA Public Schools achieved a record number of admissions JAY MATTHEWS CHALLENGE INDEX into Ivy League, Tier 1, and Tier 2 colleges RANKINGS and universities this spring—more than in IDEA College Preparatory schools are ranked any previous year dating back to our first among the best performing in the nation by the graduating class in 2007. These included Jay Mathews Challenge Index High School acceptances to Brown University, Rankings formerly known as The Washington Columbia University, Cornell University, Post rankings. Eleven IDEA high schools are listed Duke University, MIT, Harvard University, in the Top 1% of the nation including: and the University of Pennsylvania. IDEA Frontier College Preparatory – 4th Since its first graduating class 13 years IDEA San Juan College Preparatory – 8th ago, IDEA has also achieved a nearly 100% IDEA Alamo College Preparatory – 10th matriculation rate as the district continues to fulfill its unwavering commitment to IDEA Pharr College Preparatory – 11th College For All Children. The network has IDEA Mission College Preparatory – 12th maintained its near-perfect matriculation IDEA Edinburg College Preparatory – 15th rate and has grown to 96 schools serving IDEA Weslaco College Preparatory – 19th nearly 53,000 students since 2000—more IDEA Quest College Preparatory – 22nd than any other charter school in the IDEA San Benito College Preparatory - 31st nation during that time period. IDEA Toros College Preparatory – 33rd IDEA Donna College Preparatory – 57th U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKINGS IDEA College Prep high schools were ranked in the top 20 and three in the top 50 high schools in Texas including: IDEA Frontier College Preparatory – 15th in Texas, Top School in the RGV and Top 10 Charter School in Texas. IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS | PRESS KIT 2019 | 4 Where We Serve Students IDEA Public Schools is a growing network of tuition-free Pre-K - 12 public charter schools serving more than 53,000 students in 96 schools throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Austin, and San Antonio, El Paso, Tarrant County (Fort Worth/Arlington), Texas and Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. NEW IDEA CAMPUSES: For the 2019-20 school year, IDEA will open 9 new campuses across Texas and Louisiana. New schools opening in Fall 2019 include IDEA Health Professions and IDEA Parmer Park in Austin, IDEA Burke in San Antonio, IDEA Mesa Hills in El Paso, IDEA Los Encinos and IDEA Robindale in the RGV, IDEA Rise and IDEA Achieve in Tarrant County and IDEA Oscar Dunn in New Orleans. EXPANSION AND GROWTH By 2022, IDEA will operate 173 schools in ten regions educating 100,000 students on their road to and through college. IDEA Public Schools expanded to Southern Louisiana and El Paso, Texas in the fall of 2018, and will expand to Tarrant County (Fort Worth/Arlington), Texas and New Orleans in 2019. In the exploration of new regions for IDEA Public Schools, no communities made larger impressions than Tarrant County (Fort Worth/Arlington), Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. In all three communities, the achievement gap is starkly present - thousands of students are in need of a high-quality education and families want more quality educational options for their children. IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS | PRESS KIT 2019 Leadership at IDEA IDEA Public Schools recognizes that strong leadership across the district, as well as on each of our campuses, is critical to our success. IDEA’s Senior Leaders are poised to speak on a variety of topics. Under their titles see their areas of expertise in the event you’d ever like a subject matter expert for stories you’re working on. Tom Torkelson JoAnn Gama Phillip Garza Sam Goessling Founder Co-founder Chief College and Diversity Chief Advancement Officer Chief Executive Officer President Officer Expansion, Philanthropy, and IDEA historical data and Superintendent College acceptance and Charter School Growth information Teacher and Leader impact matriculation, student and teacher diversity Dolores Gonzalez Martin Winchester Wyatt Truscheit Chief Program Officer Irma Muñoz Chief Human Assets Officer Chief Financial Officer Curriculum Chief Operating Officer Staffing, Hiring Finances, Budget Healthy Kids Here, School Operations IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS | PRESS KIT 2019 2019-2020 Network Profile Nearly 96Free Public Schools GradePK Levels-12 53KStudents 88%Economically 100% College-Bound Disadvantaged (projection) W H E R E I T A L L S T A R T E D RIO GRANDE VALLEY During their stints as Teach For America Corps Members in the Rio Grande Valley, Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gama founded an after-school program in Donna, Texas, focused on student achievement and college readiness. In 2000, the state of Texas granted them a charter to operate IDEA Public Schools. Now, nineteen years later, IDEA has expanded both in and beyond the Rio Grande Valley. In the RGV, IDEA currently operates 43 schools serving 29,000 students. Since IDEA's first graduating class in 2007, 100% of our seniors have been accepted to colleges and universities nationwide. SAN ANTONIO AUSTIN In 2012, NBA legend David Robinson invited IDEA IDEA Austin has been serving students and families to partner on solving educational inequality in San in the Austin community since 2012. Today, IDEA Antonio. In August of that year, IDEA and the operates fourteen schools serving 6,000 students Admiral joined forces to operate IDEA Carver throughout East Austin, Kyle, and the Rundberg and Academy and College Prep, implementing IDEA’s Bluff Springs neighborhoods. IDEA Austin has plans successful individualized learning model in the to expand to 26 schools by 2022 thanks to initial existing Carver Academy. Today, seven years later, support from a local foundation and other IDEA operates 24 schools serving over 15,000 community leaders. In 2016, the Austin American students and families across San Antonio. Six IDEA Statesman said in an editorial, “IDEA Public San Antonio schools recently achieved the academic Schools has struck the right balance in its plans to honor of earning 100% of Texas Education Agency expand in the Austin area...competing on its merits, (TEA) distinctions for which they were eligible. record and community efforts.” IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS | PRESS KIT 2019 Videos & News AJ Rojas, IDEA McAllen, Class of 2019 The ABC’s of Early Learning: Pre-K at IMPACT Magazine Summer 2019 View Online Watch Video IDEA Public Schools Book View Online \ IDEA College Watch Video IDEA Public Schools Pre-K Program Watch Video Signing Day 2019 Watch Video Special Education at IDEA IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS | PRESS KIT 2019 Important Events Interested in learning more about IDEA or covering us throughout the year? Take a look at some of the key dates and events that occur annually across our network. 2019 August September October November December College field New Site Selection: IDEA begins College Matriculation Announcement: College Visits: IDEA announces the percentage of lessons begin as early as 1st grade National Diabetes announcing its new sites and regions. Back to School Bash: the senior class who matriculates for IDEA students. IDEA Public IDEA’s annual staff celebration to to college each fall. For the past Schools strives to have students Month: College acceptance announcements kick-off a new school year.