Application Process
In accordance with IC 20-24-3-4, Education One, LLC. has developed an Application Process Protocol for all schools seeking authorization with Education One, LLC. Education One’s Application Process has seven major components: (1) Letter of Intent; (2) Initial Proposal; (3) Application Invitation; (4) Submission and Review of Application; (5) Public Hearing; (6) School Board Meeting; and (7) Acceptance or Denial of Application. A detailed narrative of each component can be found below. Education One follows an open application cycle. However, recommended guidelines for submission have been outlined in order to ensure school quality.
Applicant Submits Letter of Intent
Recommended Timeline: Twelve to Eighteen Months Prior to Start of School
Interested candidates must submit a Letter of Intent to the Executive Director of Education One describing their desire to establish a school in conjunction with Education One. This Letter of Intent must also describe basic tenets of the proposed school structure, such as location, opening date, age range of students, number of students, and curriculum and management structure.
Applicant Submits Initial Proposal
Recommended Timeline: Twelve to Eighteen Months Prior to Start of School
Following submission of a candidate’s Letter of Intent, applicants will submit an Initial Proposal, describing the structure of the proposed school. The Initial Proposal must include a Vision and Mission statement for the school, a justification of the school’s expected effectiveness at enhancing the educational achievement of its students, and an in-depth description of the curriculum and management structure of the school. Specifically, the school’s educational model must be stated, its curricular framework must be established in which specific educational objectives for each subject taught at the school are stated, and assessment procedures should be explained. Additional pages may be submitted with information regarding the candidate’s ideas surrounding Innovation in Education, if applicable.
Review/Feedback of Initial Proposal
The Education One team will review all Initial Proposals, utilizing a rubric to score each section. Additional questions and answers may be asked as necessary. As a courtesy to the applicant, the Executive Director will provide verbal feedback to the applicant based off of the initial review. Selected applicants will then be invited to submit an Application. Application submission is by invitation only.
Submission and Review of Application by Application Review Team
Recommended Timeline: At Least Nine to Twelve Months Prior to Start of School
Following an invitation to apply, applicants will submit a full application to Education One. All completed applications are reviewed using a rubric by the Application Review Team. This team consists of Education One staff, Education One’s Finance/Facilities Consultant, and an independent consultant with an expertise in the proposed school’s educational model. Legal counsel will also review applications, when necessary, at the request of Education One’s Executive Director. After an initial review of the application, the Executive Director will provide initial written feedback from the review team to the applicant. The applicant will have time to review the feedback and make any changes to the application they deem necessary.
Revised applications will be resubmitted for review to the Application Review Team. The same rubric will be used to rescore the application, as necessary. Following the final scoring of the written application, the applicant will meet with the Application Review Team for an Application Capacity Interview. Interviews may include members of the Applicant Team, including but not limited to: 1) proposed board members, 2) proposed school leadership team, 3) proposed staff members of the school. The interview will gauge the applicant’s capacity to execute the components outlined in the submitted application, in regards to academic, financial and organization performance. The Application Review Team will debrief after the interview. If needed, a second interview with the Application Review Team may be scheduled. Once capacity interviews are complete, a final recommendation regarding approval or declination of an application will be made by the Executive Director to the Education One Board.
School Board Meeting
Recommended Timeline: At Least Nine Months Prior to Start of School
Prior to recommending approval of an application, the Executive Director will attend a board meeting for the proposed organization in order to monitor and measure the board’s capacity to govern the proposed school in accordance with Education One’s organizational performance metrics.
Public Hearing
Recommended Timeline: At Least Nine Months Prior to Start of School
Prior to recommending approval of an application, a Public Hearing will be scheduled. During the Public Hearing, applicants will present their proposal to the community in a public forum. Applicants will be asked to answer questions from the Education One team, as well as members of the public. Opportunities for members of the public to speak in opposition or in favor of the proposed school will be given. Education One will also accept written forms of support/opposition from the public.
Education One Board Meeting
Recommended Timeline: At Least Nine Months Prior to Start of School
The Executive Director will make a recommendation to the Education One Board regarding the acceptance or rejection of an application. The Education One Board of Directors will meet and vote to accept or reject the application, based on the recommendation. Applicants will be notified of the Board’s decision within 24 hours of the vote.