About Us
Freedom To Choose Schools is a non-partisan organization that believes transformational school leaders are essential to creating high-quality educational opportunities for all students. We champion fair access to quality school options by supporting leaders who are building schools that reflect the needs, values, and aspirations of the families they serve.
We believe parents deserve meaningful choices and that school leaders closest to their communities should have the freedom, support, and capacity to innovate on behalf of students. That is why we work directly with school leaders to strengthen leadership teams, elevate community voice, and build sustainable educational ecosystems centered on excellence, accountability, and student success.
Through advocacy, storytelling, and coalition-building, we ensure historically marginalized families and educators are active participants in shaping the future education and expanding pathways to economic opportunity.
Theory Of Change
Low-performing schools are disproportionately concentrated in marginalized communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty. We believe lasting transformation is driven by the leaders closest to these students and families.
Our work centers on investing in visionary school leaders and their teams to build sustainable, mission-aligned school communities. By partnering with these self-determined leaders and parents, we elevate local voices and community leadership.
Through strategic policy, advocacy, and storytelling, we aim to strengthen educational ecosystems and expand access to high-quality schools, ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Policy
Choose Schools supports legislation to expand access to great schools led by Black and Brown leaders.
Advocacy
Choose Schools builds power in communities to take actions that protect every student’s civil right to a great education.
Amplification
Choose Schools educates elected leaders on the priorities that matter to Black and Brown parents and that improve outcomes in our communities.
How We Do It
Collaboration
We believe in the power of collaboration and actively seek partnerships with schools, educators, policymakers, organizations, and families to collectively advocate for change.
Research and Data
We share research and data to identify educational disparities, develop evidence-based solutions, and monitor progress toward equitable access to quality public school options.
Grassroots Engagement
We prioritize engaging marginalized communities to understand their unique needs, amplify their voices, and ensure their active participation in shaping educational policies.
Policy Advocacy
We advocate for policies at the local, state, and national levels that promote equitable funding, eliminate discriminatory practices, and support reimagined approaches to improve public school options.
Capacity Building
We build the capacity of educators, parents, and community members to effectively advocate for quality public school options, providing training, resources, and support.
Policy Priorities
Teacher Diversity
Diversifying the teacher pipeline to reflect the communities they serve. Choose Schools supports initiatives that focus on building stronger teacher pathways, including incentivized recruiting processes, targeted outreach, and support within the most vulnerable communities.
Equitable Funding
Addressing inequities in funding, facilities, and access that disproportionately affect leaders of color. Choose Schools supports fair and equitable distribution of educational funding, ensuring that resources are allocated to schools in marginalized communities to address the historical underinvestment and provide equal opportunities for all students.
Authorizing Accountability and Equity
Advocating for laws that ensure fairness in school approval, renewal processes, and access to public buildings. Choose Schools focuses on the responsibilities and standards for charter school authorizers, including equitable practices for renewals and equitable metrics indicators.
Student Centered School Choice and Accessibility
Expanding quality public school options that meet the diverse needs of marginalized communities, particularly for schools led and founded by Black and Latino leaders. Choose Schools also supports initiatives that provide key funding and resources directly to schools, supporting the mental health of students
Choose Schools Milestones
In 2024, FCCS redefined possibilities for equitable, high-quality public school options. Check out our Annual Report, which includes our key achievements and outlines our ambitious vision for 2025 as we aim to deepen our impact and expand education opportunities.
FCCS’s model, under the leadership of our Founder, Dr. Fuller, built coalitions to help achieve funding equity for WI students.
Supported historic education investments and approval of two new charter schools in CT.
Honored Dr. Fuller’s 60 years of service at FCCS’s Annual Gala.
Joined the African American Charter School Coalition to hold Philadelphia School District accountable for fair, transparent, and equitable authorizing practices
Introduced the Leaders and Lawmaker series to build relationships between lawmakers and school leaders.
Launched two public awareness campaigns to amplify marginalized voices in support of education options.
FCCS co-sponsored a national coalition of parents and advocates to challenge the Federal Charter School Program (CSP) funding regulations and helped successfully roll back harmful regulations.
FCCS launched a targeted campaign, mobilizing hundreds of marginalized public school leaders, parents and students, to ensure the next U.S. Secretary of Education would be a leader of color to represent the voices of families nationally. We supported the nomination and appointment of Miguel Cardona to the role.
Our #SaveOurCharters national campaign challenged the anti-charter narrative of Presidential candidates and was pivotal in silencing that platform for candidates like Elizabeth Warren.
FCCS was founded by Dr. Howard Fuller to expand access to public charter schools led by Black and Brown leaders. We launched FCCS in coalition with over 250 Black and Brown leaders from 21 states serving more than 1 million Black and Brown families to amplify the voices of charter school leaders of color.