Success Academy Charter Schools

This stand-alone multimedia case follows the story of Eva Moskowitz and Success Academy, a network of high-performing charter schools in New York City. As a New York City councilor between 1999 and 2006, Moskowitz became frustrated over the inertia and dysfunction in the city's public school system. After clashing with school unions, she opened the first Success Academy charter school in Harlem in 2006 and served as its principal. According to the podcast "StartUp," Moskowitz was able to close the achievement disparity in standardized testing between disadvantaged students and more elite public-school students in New York. The case explores the role of the government in the provision and funding of education and what education can learn from the private sector, including how Success Academy's adoption of business principals - high expectations, aggressive testing, spirit of innovation, and experimentation - contribute to positive outcomes for students. How students are selected will be an important debate point for the case.