One of the reasons parents and guardians flock to Imagine Schools, a national network of public charter schools, is the emphasis we place on positive character development. We care just as much about the kind of citizen, parent, worker, and spouse a child will grow up to become as we do about academic achievement. We want each Imagine student to become a responsible citizen of his school and to embody virtue, leadership, and service. Our journey in character education began with the founding of the Imagine Schools in 2004. Cofounders Dennis and Eileen Bakke, along with members of the Senior Executive Team, sought to form an organization that would serve students and families presently and for years to come. They determined that helping parents fulfill their responsibility to acquire the best education possible for their children required more than just providing a sound academic curriculum. While academic rigor is one important measure of Imagine’s effectiveness, character formation is a second essential element necessary to ensure that children grow to be astute, productive, thoughtful citizens. So, from the very beginning of Imagine Schools, positive character development has been a critical component of our educational program. Over the past 7½ years, we have grown from 25 to 75 campuses. The staff on each of these public charter campuses have embraced the vision and mission of Imagine Schools and determined to place a strong emphasis on positive character development.

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