A new organization chaired by state Senate President Peter Groff seeks to dramatically increase the number of new, high-performing schools for underserved students on the Front Range.
The focus for the new nonprofit called Get Smart Schools will be on nontraditional public schools, such as charter schools, innovative schools and pilot schools, Groff said.
“What we are trying to do is give parents a lot of different choices in terms of high-performing, high-quality schools,” Groff said.
The organization will develop targeted leadership-training programs, increase resources to new school developers and serve as a coordinator and catalyst for organizations engaged in education reform.
Among the key initiatives for the new organization is recruiting new school developers to Colorado, providing access to facilities as well as financial and technical support.
The hope is to develop a network of schools that carry the brand of “Get Smart Schools” and have met certain requirements, such as demonstrating high achievement and preparing students for college.
The organization has received funding from the Daniels Fund, Donnell-Kay Foundation and the Piton Foundation.
