Illinois Network of Charter Schools

The Illinois Network of Charter Schools advocates for the improvement of public education by leveraging the charter school model as a catalyst to transform lives and communities. As the voice of Illinois charter schools, INCS engages a diverse coalition of policymakers, school leaders, parents, and community members to create systemic change and secure high-quality schools for underserved communities.

INCS envisions that all students in Illinois have access to a high-quality public school that prepar

Goal One: Advocate for fair and equitable policies at the district and state level to ensure charter schools have access to adequate facilities and funding

Goal Two: Elevate the voice of a unified charter community, ensuring the existence of an accurate and balanced narrative through our strategic communications plan

Goal Three: Support high-quality schools and help them thrive to improve family access to high-quality seats

INCS actively allocates professional development dollars for leadership development. The INCS President is participating in the Aspen Fellowship - a values-based leadership development program aiming to strengthen the capacity of participants as they reflect on timeless human values, pursue common ground, and cultivate a richer understanding of the human condition. They then apply these insights to their work as social purpose leaders. In addition to our President, INCS employees of all levels are encouraged to grow in this area by participating in trainings through organizations such as the Management Center.

INCS has continued to meet and exceed our organizational goals, push our key workstreams forward, and develop new programs to support the quality and vitality of the charter movement, even in the face of challenges surrounding the global pandemic. Our team quickly adapted to remote work, shifting meetings to virtual settings and being flexible in the face of many unknowns. We maintained relationships with key constituencies - charter schools, charter school authorizers, decision-makers, donors, supporters, etc. - to ensure we could continue supporting charter schools while aiming to increase access to a high-quality education for all Illinois students. We doubled down on outreach efforts to our member schools, maintaining existing programs and adding new ones. Our school reopening working group covered timely topics including technology, the Paycheck Protection Program, and safety and PPE. When schools were planning to return to in-person learning, we supported them in developing reopening plans focusing on school operations, academic programs, assessment, staffing and HR, and family support and communications. Our advocacy efforts have never been more crucial as we worked tirelessly to ensure that charter schools had adequate funding. Working with local, state, and federal stakeholders, INCS ensured that charter schools received an equitable, proportionate share of both the CARES Act relief funding and Illinois’ allocation of federal COVID relief funding. As a result of our extensive advocacy, charter schools received an additional $41.7M in Covid relief funds. Additionally, with our participation in the Mayor’s School Reopening Task Force, INCS assisted charter schools in accessing opportunities for their teachers and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, we are thrilled with our success internally in adapting to changes and externally in our work of supporting the charter community.