In 1996 FOCUS founded the D.C. Public Charter School Coalition, an umbrella under which charter school leaders and other stakeholders came together for mutual support and political advocacy. Reflecting the growth and evolving needs of the charter school movement, in mid-2004 the District’s charter schools formed the D.C. Public Charter School Association, which will focus on school quality, public awareness, and policy advocacy. FOCUS is a member of the Association; the D.C. Public Charter School Coalition, now jointly convened by the Association and FOCUS when political circumstances warrant, continues as the advocacy committee of the Association, among other things vetting the annual Advocacy Agenda that drives FOCUS’s continuing advocacy efforts on behalf of the charter schools. FOCUS’s executive director Robert Cane and Association E.D. Ariana Quinones-Miranda closely collaborate on policy matters and jointly plan and execute the charter schools’ political strategy. FOCUS and the Association also collaborate on programs of benefit to the charter schools. For example, FOCUS helps charter school applicants develop their schools, write their applications, and get their schools open on time. Once open, the charter schools turn to the Association for professional development and other forms of technical assistance and support, while FOCUS continues to help the schools with their facilities needs.
