Philadelphia Board of Education and Charter Schools Office Announce New Website for Project RiSE

In October 2024, the Charter Schools Office (CSO) launched Reimagining School Excellence (also known as Project RiSE) at the direction of the Philadelphia Board of Education. Today, the CSO announced a new website for the project so that families, community members, and school communities can follow the work closely.

Project RiSE is a multi-phase initiative to refine the Charter School Performance Framework, which serves as the primary tool for evaluating the academic, organizational, and financial health of Philadelphia’s brick-and-mortar charter schools.

“The Board believes that strong authorizing policies and practices are required to support the overall health of the charter sector,” said Board President Reginald Streater. “We know that accountability metrics must evolve over time, and Project RiSE will determine how authorizing should evolve to best support the needs of our students as we strive for one system of public education in Philadelphia.”

Phase one of Project RiSE, which centered on gathering insights from experts and stakeholder feedback, recently concluded. Now, the CSO is moving on to phase two, which includes identifying an external consultant to conduct research on national charter authorizing best practices, engage with stakeholders, and provide specific recommendations regarding the next iteration of the Framework.

“There is no perfect system, but a strong system is self-reflective,” said Peng Chao, Chief of Charter Schools. “And so we have reflected on all of the feedback we’ve received over the years, and through Project RiSE, we are taking a thoughtful, data-driven approach to ensure our accountability measures reflect both the evolving education landscape and the expectations of the communities we serve.”

The Board of Education and CSO will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the process to ensure transparency and collaboration. As Project RiSE progresses, updates will be shared to keep the public informed about key milestones and findings.

For more information on Project RiSE and the next steps in this initiative, visit https://www.philasd.org/charterschools/rise/.