COLUMBIA, SC – On December 17, 2024, the Charter Institute (Institute) Board of Directors officially approved the transformative Institute Success Agenda, a $1.75 million series of strategic initiatives that will address some of today’s most pressing challenges in South Carolina’s education system. The agenda consists of three pillars – 1) the Corridor of Success, 2) Math Success, and 3) the Acceleration of Success. This agenda sets a bold course toward generational transformation for children, teachers, and families statewide.
“The Charter Institute was founded to create solutions for the benefit of South Carolina’s education system,” said Cameron Runyan, Superintendent of the Charter Institute. “This agenda represents our commitment to think bigger and aim higher for the sake of our state’s children, teachers, and families.”
Transforming the Corridor of Shame into the Corridor of Success
South Carolina has long struggled to establish meaningful change in the rural I-95 Corridor, known as the “Corridor of Shame”. Nearly every county in this area is underperforming the state of South Carolina in English Language Arts and math scores. The Institute will support these local communities and the State Department of Education in their goal to increase academic achievement of children living in these areas.
To accomplish this goal, the Institute will offer $100,000 in forgivable, no-interest loans to up to ten approved, experienced applicant groups committed to opening charter schools in the “Corridor of Shame”. Utilizing financial controls along with deep academic and operational support from the Institute, these schools will be equipped for success from the start. Schools that achieve Institute academic benchmarks within the first three years will have their loans fully forgiven and become Institute “Corridor of Success” schools. Within ten years, these Institute schools will transform the “Corridor of Shame” into the “Corridor of Success”.
Charter schools have the proven capacity to effect change in the “Corridor of Shame”, as evidenced by the incredible accomplishments of the Institute’s own Royal Live Oaks Academy (RLOACS) in Jasper County. With 75% of its student population qualifying as pupils in poverty, 89% minority, and 55% multilingual, RLOACS is the highest-performing elementary, middle, and high school in the county. RLOACS received an Excellent rating in Growth for three consecutive years and was recently recognized by South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver for their continued success. Additionally, RLOACS is an Excellent-rated school, an Institute School of Distinction, and a Palmetto Silver School.
The Institute already serves 2,900 students through its virtual schools and has an additional 2,800 brick-and-mortar students in the already approved, new school pipeline. These proven successes and commitment to the Corridor, make the Institute the organization best equipped to tackle this problem through the creation of high-quality school choice options.
Achieving Math Success
Math scores in South Carolina and across the country have reached historic lows, threatening students’ academic and professional futures. In every county in South Carolina, math scores drastically trail achievement in English Language Arts. According to the National Assessment of Education Statistics, states across the country are seeing historically large achievement gaps in math scores in fourth grade that only widen as students age. To address this crisis, the Institute is launching a three-pronged strategy:
1. Utilize global math experts to conduct groundbreaking research in classrooms, uncovering the issue’s root causes.
2. Host a Global Math Summit in Columbia in the Fall of 2025 to present the findings of this research and begin developing solutions based on these findings.
3. Reward excellence with “Success Performance Bonuses” as high as $5,000 for Institute teachers who achieve success in math in alignment with Institute targets.
These three initiatives will not only provide a path forward to improving student outcomes but will also provide data that will be used nationally to address the math crisis.
Accelerating Success
Parents have made charter schools the fastest-growing sector in public education, yet resource challenges continue to hinder the growth of the sector, especially in rural and low-income areas. The Institute is committed to establishing vehicles for accessible, below-market-rate financial support to new and expanding schools. These alternative vehicles will provide an avenue for philanthropic and business interests to collaborate to benefit the neediest children and expand the state’s economy and workforce.
Putting the Agenda into Action
The Charter Institute Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve the agenda at their December 17 Board meeting.
During the meeting, Dr. Steven Adamson, Chairman of the Charter Institute Board, remarked, “It is a privilege and a source of great hope to lead the Institute into this next chapter focused on supporting South Carolina’s most underserved communities.”
Follow the Charter Institute on social media to keep up with the progress of the Institute Success Agenda by following @ErskineCharters on all platforms.
For more information about the Charter Institute and its transformative work, visit erskinecharters.org.
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The Charter Institute at Erskine is the fastest-growing school district in South Carolina. Serving 26 schools and 27,000 students across the state, the Charter Institute at Erskine is committed to innovative, creative, high-quality methods of education. For more information about the Institute, please visit www.erskinecharters.org.
