As the focus of policymakers and philanthropic funders has shifted from post-secondary access to post-secondary access and success, researchers have begun to investigate more deeply the specific effects of rising college costs, increasing debt, and the impact of financial aid on degree completion. This report describes the sources and types of financial aid available [...]

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned FSG to explore the challenges low-income young adults face in accessing and using financial aid and the related trends contributing to inequality in post-secondary education today, as well as potential approaches to helping students overcome these barriers. To do so, FSG interviewed national and state experts on [...]

Two Rivers Public Charter School is a high-performing PK-8 school located in Washington, D.C. More than three dozen parents from the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood founded the school, which was awarded its charter by the D.C. Public Charter School Board in August 2003 and opened in the fall of 2004. The school has grown from [...]

This paper is intended for use by district and charter representatives interested in establishing a new collaboration or in increasing the effectiveness of an existing collaboration. The paper presents our methodology, an overview of the nature of district-charter collaborations, and a framework based on lessons learned from leaders involved in various capacities over the [...]

Accessing affordable facilities has long been identified as one of the most significant challenges facing charter schools. In response to this challenge, an array of policy and market-based approaches has emerged over the years. Examples of these approaches include: public and private credit enhancement, tax-exempt bond financing, community development lending, commercial facilities development, state [...]