Ensuring Inclusion for All Preschool-age Children with Disabilities – State Strategies to Move the Needle
Only 43% of preschoolers with disabilities learn alongside their peers. The research is clear and the federal requirements are longstanding. Here’s how states can move the needle on inclusion.
Three Questions Every State Leader Should Be Working Through Right Now
New, recurring education dollars are coming January 1, 2027. The federal scholarship tax credit puts a real choice in front of every state. Here are three questions to work through now, with your students at the center.
FOX Fellowship’s Support for Strong Charter School Management
One of our greatest pleasures at Afton is the occasional opportunity to step back and have reflective conversations about the meaning and impact of our work with partners.
We’ve Done This Before: What Portfolio Districts Can Teach States About Building School Choice Systems
A thought piece for practitioners, policymakers, and funders navigating the next era of American education.
Ensuring Inclusion for All Preschool-age Children with Disabilities – State Strategies to Move the Needle
Only 43% of preschoolers with disabilities learn alongside their peers. The research is clear and the federal requirements are longstanding. Here’s how states can move the needle on inclusion.
Preparing for Your CCDF State Plan: What’s Changed Since Your Last Cost Analysis?
Providers are caught between rising costs and families who can afford less. Cost models need to catch up.
Preparing for Your CCDF State Plan: Connecting the Dots from Field Input to Costs
A practical guide to engaging families and providers in ways that actually shape your CCDF rates.
We’ve Done This Before: What Portfolio Districts Can Teach States About Building School Choice Systems
A thought piece for practitioners, policymakers, and funders navigating the next era of American education.
The Five Foundations of Sustainable School Finance
Financial health isn’t a number or a clean audit. It’s the set of conditions that determine whether a school can make good decisions today and keep its promises tomorrow.
Preserving The Core: A Budget Process for Constrained Times
A five-phase approach to aligning budgets with academic priorities, especially when resources are constrained.
2024 Impact Report
As we look back on 2024, we celebrate the progress and wins of our partners across the country and across a multitude of initiatives.
Together we achieved meaningful system improvement in many public service areas. We also broke ground on foundations of change, setting the conditions for enduring positive outcomes for years to come.
Here are just some of the highlights:
Using Your Charter School Finance Committee for Impact and Sustainability
At a time when many external forces* create added financial complexity, school board finance committees can be an invaluable resource for mission impact and long-term sustainability.
Financial Stewardship in a Time of Elevated Pressures
At Afton, we have been reflecting on the concept of financial stewardship, meaning how charter schools handle resources like money, assets, and talent to enable great outcomes.
The Five Foundations of Sustainable School Finance
Financial health isn’t a number or a clean audit. It’s the set of conditions that determine whether a school can make good decisions today and keep its promises tomorrow.
Preserving The Core: A Budget Process for Constrained Times
A five-phase approach to aligning budgets with academic priorities, especially when resources are constrained.
Partner Interview: Fair Chance Hiring
We recently sat down with the Fair Chance Hiring (FCH) Initiative’s Program Director, Steph Dolan, and co-facilitator, Liana Bran, to talk about the origins of this work, why it’s so important, and what impact it’s had to date.