Chicago Charter School Network Named Best in Country

Noble Network of Charter Schools, which operates 17 schools in Chicago, has been named the best-performing large charter school network in the country and is the recipient of the 2015 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools sponsored by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

As school choice becomes an increasingly hot topic, as do high-performing charter school networks.

"The $250,000 Broad...Prize for Public Charter Schools is an annual award that honors the large public charter school system serving low-income students and students of color that has the best overall performance in the country," the Foundation said in a statement.

The Noble network is comprised of 16 high schools and one middle school, which a member of the review board for the prize said is one of the reasons why it's so exceptional.

"'Noble is exceptional because they operate almost entirely high schools, which are often the toughest grades to advance academically at high levels...Noble is clearly on to something because they've been able to scale and sustain their academic achievement. They have demonstrated that all students have the ability to perform at college-ready levels,'" said Paul Pastorek, according to the Foundation.

95 percent of Noble's students are African American while 89 percent are low-income and has consistently ranked as one of the top-performing public schools in the state of Illinois.

Noble is different from the average school in that it operates with longer class periods and longer school days and a longer school year to provide students with more instructional time.

"Noble's approach includes a consistent school culture of high expectations, the use of student-level data to drive instruction, and a focus on attracting and retaining the top teaching talent," the Foundation said in its statement.

The network will receive a $250,000 prize to continue its success as a network from the Foundation.

Read more about the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools here, and comment thoughts below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

06/23/2015