A well-crafted charter application is a cornerstone of a successful school launch. For incubators, associations, and CSP grant managing agencies that support new school developers through fellowship programs, providing high-quality feedback during the application development process is essential. SchoolWorks® partners with you to offer expert, formative reviews of draft charter applications—ensuring that fellows are well-prepared to submit proposals that are compliant, compelling, and authorizer-ready.
SchoolWorks conducts in-depth, formative reviews of charter application drafts to help school developers improve the clarity, coherence, and strategic alignment of your proposals before submission. Our specialists approach each review from the perspective of an authorizer, leveraging extensive experience in both charter authorization and application evaluation.
Working in partnership with fellowship program staff, we structure our feedback process to fit within your program timeline and milestones. Our goal is to provide actionable, evidence-based guidance that enhances fellows’ readiness and increases the likelihood of charter approval.
Our formative charter application review services are flexible and customizable, allowing incubators and grant managers to provide targeted support to fellows at the right time in the development process.
SchoolWorks evaluates draft charter applications using the authorizer’s official evaluation rubric or scoring criteria. We simulate the review process, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement across all major application sections—including mission and vision, educational model, curriculum and assessment, governance, staffing, financial planning, community engagement, and more.
Each review results in a comprehensive, section-by-section feedback report that outlines:
This feedback serves as a roadmap for fellows and coaches to prioritize revisions and strengthen final submissions.
To support deeper understanding and capacity building, SchoolWorks offers live debrief sessions with fellows and/or program staff. These sessions allow applicants to ask questions, clarify reviewer comments, and receive coaching on how to incorporate feedback effectively. When appropriate, we can also participate in review panels or mock authorizer sessions as part of program-based evaluation exercises.
For programs that build in multiple application draft cycles, SchoolWorks can provide second-round reviews or targeted feedback on revised sections. This iterative support ensures fellows are making progress toward submission readiness and building the skill to self-evaluate future work.
For incubators and program managers, SchoolWorks can aggregate common themes and trends from reviews to provide insights into cohort-wide strengths and areas for improvement. This data can inform coaching priorities, training content, and overall program design.
Formative feedback isn’t just about producing a polished document. It’s about helping new school developers think more critically, write more strategically, and better align your ideas to real-world implementation. By partnering with SchoolWorks for charter application reviews, fellowship programs gain a trusted evaluator and coach who helps ensure that every fellow is equipped to submit a strong, high-quality proposal—and ready to lead a successful school.
Explore our case studies and online course to learn more about our expertise in this area. If your organization would like hands-on support, reach out anytime. Our specialists are happy to talk to you.
“SchoolWorks was instrumental in the development and successful approval of our six charter school applications. Their work brought coherence and focus that resulted in a strong academic program supported by research and best practice that was also grounded in operational and financial stability.”
Kristi Baird
Executive Director, Compass Charter Schools
“We are grateful to the SchoolWorks team for their support though this process. While our staff focused on the day-to-day operations of the school, it was a relief to have reliable and experienced help in preparing the renewal application. The mock site visit helped our team know what to expect during the renewal visit.”
Stephanie Valle
Executive Director, KIPP: Tech Valley Charter School
SchoolWorks® has helped launch more than 100 charter schools. Our specialists work closely with authorizers, associations, incubators, developers, and operators to ensure high-quality options.
Our team members have supported the creation of dozens upon dozens of new school and renewal applications by writing, managing, or coaching school developers.
We understand that every school and situation is unique. We tailor our solutions to meet the specific needs, goals, and challenges of our partners and provide personalized hands-on support.
Ready to take your new or operational charter school to the next level?
Contact us today to learn more about how SchoolWorks® can support you on your journey.
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