After three years as finalists, IDEA received the Broad Prize and was named America’s Best Charter School Network in June. It was an honor to be among two other elite networks and finalists, YES Prep of Houston and Success Academy of New York City. The honor came as a culmination of all the remarkable things this organization has achieved in the past few years. Every one of our campuses met standard, according to Texas Education Agency. Our standardized test results increased holistically on both Level II and Level III achievement. Twenty IDEA schools received all distinctions for which they were eligible. One-hundred percent of our seniors graduated, matriculated to college, and began their journeys at quality universities around the country, becoming the next generation of leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and forward thinkers. Parents, teachers, and students alike shared teary-eyed hugs at our annual College Signing Day at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. An emotional crowd of over 12,000 people watched as IDEA Public Schools’ Class of 2016 revealed their college choices. It was a multiple-day celebration of achievement and commitment, and one of our most inspiring traditions. IDEA Public Schools places so much stock in College Signing Day because we know what a monumental moment this is for everyone involved. A college degree changes a life trajectory. It’s the single most-important factor to combat poverty in America, and it’s the precursor to achieving The American Dream.
background, race, or income, should be able to dream their most ambitious dreams and then go out and achieve them. None of this success would be possible without our teachers and leaders. We’ve recruited, trained, and retained the best educators around, and because retaining staff members is a top priority at IDEA Public Schools, we are dedicated to ensuring our employees are the healthiest, happiest, best trained, and most supported in the country. This past July, we made additional strides to ensure our organization is a sustainable one for our employees by offering paid maternity leave for up to eight weeks to all eligible staff members. We’re proud to be the outlier in a country where private corporations only provide paid leave to 12% of Americans. Not only maintaining, but expanding IDEA’s team and family is so important because of our future plans. By 2022, we will educate 100,000 students across ten regions throughout the United States, teaching grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12th at 173 schools. As we’ve grown, we’ve shown no signs of compromising our effectiveness. In fact, as we open more new campuses and instruct more new students, our achievement results only grow. This will continue to be the case as IDEA Public Schools expands to El Paso, Southern Louisiana, and beyond. Why? Because wherever we go, we take the best educators, the most rigorous curriculum, and an unwavering commitment to every student we serve with us. Just as every one of our scholars is on the road to college, we too, as an organization, are on the road to maintain our status as the best charter school network. Read on to learn more about the most successful year yet at IDEA Public Schools.
The American Dream—it’s a glamorous notion, but also an elusive one. For me, The American Dream means you can be whatever you want to be, and do whatever you want to do. IDEA Public Schools is making this a reality for every student we serve. It’s what makes honors like The Broad Prize or celebrations like College Signing Day so special—they’re reflections of the work we do for our students. We believe that every child, no matter their
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IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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2016 ANNUAL REPORT
Tom Torkelson CEO & Founder