In January of 2026, The Charter Institute at Erskine (the Institute) formed a historic international partnership with the Kunskapsskolan Network (KED), a global community of more than 100 schools across Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, India, and the Middle East. The international partnership connects the Institute to a worldwide network of innovative schools committed to personalized learning and student-centered education, while advancing a shared focus on excellence in mathematics.
“We are very excited to expand the KED Network with such an impactful and visionary organization as Erskine Charter Institute.,” said Cecilia Carnefeldt, CEO and President of Kunskapsskolan Education. “Having a US partner of this caliber takes our global network to the next level.”
With a shared belief in personalized education, the partnership creates a dynamic exchange between the Institute and KED schools in Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, India, and Saudi Arabia while uniting under the universal principles of school choice. Through this collaboration, educators will share instructional practices, research, and resources to strengthen outcomes for students both locally and globally.
“The partnership with the Charter Institute at Erskine will create an exceptional addition to the opportunities for students, teachers and leaders within the KED Network,” said Christian Wetell, Executive Vice President-Head of International Operations at Kunskapsskolan Education.
In April, KED educators and researchers from around the world will visit Institute charter school classrooms to learn alongside South Carolina educators, and Institute leaders will also engage directly with KED schools abroad. This exchange will give educators the chance to see how different school cultures affect learning outcomes, while also identifying new strategies to improve educational outcomes for students in South Carolina and in KED schools globally.
“KED schools put a primary emphasis on school and student culture. This approach is time proven to drive positive academic outcomes for children,” said Superintendent and CEO of the Charter Institute at Erskine, Cameron Runyan. “Too often in the United States, the emphasis is on outcomes without addressing the underlying cultural imperatives that make positive outcomes possible. KED re-orients that approach and the results speak for themselves.”
The Kunskapsskolan schools are among the highest-performing public schools of choice in Sweden. The success of its KED Program can be judged not only by students’ performance being higher than the Swedish national average, but also by the expansion of KED schools across international boundaries. Currently, over 100 KED and KED Inspired schools operate across Sweden, UK, the Netherlands, India, USA and the Middle East.
