Schools That Can provides inner city schools with access to the experience and resources of a strong central organization that can help them meet the challenges they face on a daily basis. We can:

• Help with recruitment, accreditation, and continual validation.
• Offer a strong interactive network both within and outside the Schools That Can network to enable the sharing of best practices between schools.
• Provide financial support through grants targeted at expanding leadership for quality school growth.
• Create and implement advocacy campaigns that raise public awareness for our schools and their need for ongoing support.

Validating Performance

Helping a school receive grant money through performance validation.

In 2005, a school in Newark, New Jersey was in urgent need of financial support to meet its operating deficit. An interested foundation used the Schools That Can Validation Study, which demonstrated the school's track record of success, as the basis of validating the academic performance of the school – and approved the much needed grant.

Finding Great Leaders

Helping a school find the strong, experienced leader it needs to succeed.

In 2004, a Chicago K-8 school needed a new principal who could successfully take on a wide variety of challenges. While the school had demonstrated academic excellence since its founding, the turnover among it's principles was frustrating to students and teachers. Schools That Can contacted member schools and identified a strong candidate that they felt was ready to lead her own institution. She was hired, and in the past few years has taken the school to an even higher level of achievement.

Emotional Support

Helping a leader start 3 successful inner-city schools – with 2 more opening soon.

In 1997, a school leader from Los Angeles started an after-school program in one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. His next dream was to start a pre K-8 school in the same location. With hands-on support and encouragement from Schools That Can, he got the school off the ground. Today he leads three successful schools on a newly constructed campus in the same neighborhood – and is poised to open two additional inner city schools this fall.

Crisis Management

Helping a school overcome the threat of eviction.

In 2001, a New York school was threatened by its landlord with eviction. Schools That Can provided the financial know-how to fund the purchase and renovation of a 60,000 square-foot building. Legal support was provided to delay eviction proceedings and two years later, the school moved into its new home, a state-of-the-art facility.

Strategy & Development

Helping a school double the number of students it can serve.

Schools That Can is working with an Archdiocese school in the New York area that has a waiting list of 200 students. Unfortunately, the school is already too small to handle the 240 students it already has. Schools That Can helped to develop a strategy to take over another school building within a ten minute walk of the existing school – allowing it to enroll the 200 students on the waiting list in the new building, and position the school for further expansion in the future.