In the News

On a Tuesday morning in February, Soheila Ahmad’s first-grade class at Imagine Southeast Public Charter School has just finished language arts. The 12 children — all boys, all African American — are tidying up their desks. There are no windows in this basement room, but one wall, the backdrop for posters, is painted sky blue. “I need the cleanup crew …

With political agendas in hand, union-backed organizations, such as Policy Matters Ohio, are trying to undercut school choice by spreading misinformation regarding Ohio public community (charter) schools. In May, Policy Matters Ohio released a report attacking Imagine Schools and continues to bounce around the state repeating its accusations, including a recent column published by The Plain Dealer. The report is …

“Inspired by his cousin to reach far, a Kansas City student did just that, and last month, he was named a recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Alfred Baskerville IV, a recent graduate of Imagine Renaissance Academy of Environmental Science and Math, knew it would be easier to achieve his dreams if he received the scholarship, which pays for virtually …

“The St. Petersburg Times’ redundant article and editorial this week on Imagine Schools unfairly characterizes an organization with a positive history educating thousands of Florida students. The unbalanced reporting greatly overstated the challenges at Imagine St. Petersburg as well as diminished its positive progress both in finances and academics. Corrective action will eliminate the debt over the next three years. …

Cleveland, OH (May 13, 2010) — Jason Bryant, Executive Vice President of Imagine Schools, today issued the following statement in response to the release of the Policy Matters Ohio Report on Imagine Schools: “The attack on Imagine Schools by Policy Matters Ohio is not surprising given its union associations and history of bias against charter schools. The report is political …

To the Editor: We are appalled by your depiction of Imagine Schools in ”For Charter School Company, Issues of Spending and Control” (front page, April 24). The true tests of successful schools, whether charter or traditional, are parent satisfaction and student achievement. Why not spotlight the 37,000 Imagine Schools students who are learning character and leadership along with reading, history …

This past Saturday’s New York Times misled its readers and mischaracterized Imagine Schools’ true impact in so many communities. We are disappointed by the bias and lack of balance. As the largest charter school operator, we expect critics, especially from those with agendas against friendly competition, but we also expect fairness. Throughout the numerous rounds of interviews, the reporter expressed …

“They won a legal battle to force Maryland to increase public funding for charter schools more than 60 percent. They opened two charter schools in Prince George’s County and befriended the superintendent there even though the county had a reputation as hostile to the charter movement. They run one of the largest charter school networks in the country. Yet Dennis …