Dive Brief:
- Over the next five years, the Walton Foundation will spend $1 billion dollars to expand and improve charter schools.
- The foundation has already spent $1 billion on K-12 education over the last two decades, the Associated Press reports, including $385 million that was used for charter school creation in less affluent areas.
- The goal is to provide more options for low-income families, the Walton Foundation told the Associated Press, but critics point to a lack of overall performance for charters and question why such a large amount of funding isn't being used to improve traditional public schools.
Dive Insight:
Part of the huge block of money is reportedly earmarked for tracking performance and accountability for charters, the Associated Press reports. Still, no details have been released, and it's unclear what exactly will be funded and when.
Previous startup grants by the Walton Foundation are said to have helped approximately "a quarter of all charter schools nationally," but some question the role of corporate interests and money in education — especially efforts perceived as meaning to privatize and/or capitalize on learning.
