Charter Development Alliance

The Charter Development Alliance was formed in the fall of 2000 to create excellent public schools utilizing the charter school mechanism. Charter schools are public schools that operate under a contract, or charter, that specifies the school's mission, academic program, number of students served, and the level of academic achievement the school is... expected to achieve. Apart from their charter, however, charter schools are free from many of the regulations under which traditional public schools operate. While there are many differences in how individual states have authorized charter schools, in general charter schools are required to be nonsectarian and may not charge tuition. Charter schools are funded on a per-student basis at levels similar to those of traditional public schools. The Charter Development Alliance believes that charter schools are an excellent mechanism for improving public education by facilitating creativity, improving parental involvement and sharing best practices with local public schools. In late 2000, the Charter Development Alliance began the process of establishing the El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy. By working closely with parents, the Santa Ana Unified School District and the City of Santa Ana, CDA was able to launch El Sol's K-1 program in September 2001 -- only eight weeks following the purchase of the property where the school is located. To learn more about El Sol, visit our El Sol information page and links to the El Sol website. To learn more about CDA and how you can join our efforts to improve public education, please contact us.Read More