Parents and guardians enroll their children in Imagine Schools, a national network of 70 public charter schools, in part because of the high priority we place on positive character development. Imagine educators care as passionately about the kind of citizen, worker, and friend a child will become as about each child’s growth in academics. Our journey in character education began with the founding of Imagine Schools in 2004. Cofounders Dennis and Eileen Bakke, and members of the Senior Executive Team, established an organization to meet students and families’ demands for high quality public schools of choice. They determined that helping parents fulfill their responsibility to acquire the best education for their children required more than providing a sound academic curriculum. Character formation, essential to ensuring that children grow to be productive, thoughtful citizens, goes hand in hand with academic achievement. From Imagine Schools’ inception, character development has been a critical component of our educational program. Over the past eight years, Imagine has grown from 25 to 70 campuses. We evaluate our schools and organization on Measures of Excellence: Academic Growth, Character Development, Parent Choice, Shared Values, Economic Sustainability, and School Development. Imagine educators seek to ensure that each Imagine student grows toward responsible citizenship, embodying virtue, leadership, and service.

Printer Friendly