Responsive Education Solutions

Responsive Education Solutions, Inc. (Responsive Ed) is a non-profit charter management organization headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Responsive Education Solutions, Inc.
FormationMarch 1999 (1999-03)[1]
75-2748762
HeadquartersLewisville, Texas
Servicescharter management organization
Revenue (2015[1])
$142,618,209
Websiteresponsiveed.com

Responsive Education Solutions (ResponsiveEd) is one of the largest charter school operators in the nation.[2] The company is headquartered in Lewisville, Texas.[3]

Founded in 1998, ResponsiveEd started as a not-profit organization with 15 credit-recovery schools.[4] These schools became known as Premier High Schools.[5] In its first school year in 1999, ResponsiveEd had 50 staff members, about 700 students, and 65 graduates in the 1999-2000 school year.[4]

ResponsiveEd has since developed a line of classical academies, STEM, early college high schools, and virtual school options. As of the 2018-2019 school year, ResponsiveEd serves 20,000 students with 2,400 team members at more than 70 campuses across Texas and Arkansas.[4]

The ResponsiveEd family of schools includes:[6]

ResponsiveEd is the first charter school in Texas to address the unique needs of children with autism with The Foundation School for Autism in San Antonio.[8]

Schools

Teachers

Total teacher FTEs (full-time equivalent) employed by ResponsiveEd in 2016 was 732.5.[9]

The average salary for teachers employed by ResponsiveEd in 2016 was $42,912; salaries ranged from a beginner's salary of $41,667 to someone with 20+ years experience making $44,037.[9]

Based on 2016-2017 data, 75.8% (Statewide: 74.5%) of ResponsiveEd teachers had a bachelor's degree, 20.4% (Statewide: 23.6%) had a master's degree, and 1.7% (Statewide: 0.6%) had a doctorate. The teacher demographics was 14.8% African American, 2.5% Asian, 10.5% Hispanic, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% American Indian, 71% White, and 1% two or more races.[9]

Students

For the 2016-2017 school year, 32.9% (Statewide: 52.4%) of ResponsiveEd students were Hispanic, 47% (Statewide: 59%) were economically disadvantaged, 36.2% were at-risk students and 7.4% of ResponsiveEd students had special education needs.[9]

53.8% (Statewide: 38.7%) of ResponsiveEd students were considered college-ready in English and Math for the Class of 2016. The average SAT score for the Class of 2016 was 1547 (Statewide: 1375) and the average ACT composite score was 23.0 (Statewide: 20.3).[9]

Locations

StateSchool name
TexasPremier High Schools; 9-12
  • Premier High School - Amarillo
  • Premier High School - Waco
  • Premier High School - Tyler
  • Premier High School - Texarkana
  • Premier High School - San Juan
  • Premier High School - San Antonio East
  • Premier High School - San Antonio West
  • Premier High School - Pharr
  • Premier High School - Pflugerville
  • Premier High School - Palmview
  • Premier High School - New Braunfels
  • Premier High School - Mission
  • Premier High School - Lubbock
  • Premier High School - Houston North
  • Premier High School - Laredo
  • Premier High School - Irving South
  • Premier High School - Huntsville
  • Premier High School - Midland
  • Premier High School - Granbury
  • Premier High School - Fort Worth
  • Premier High School - El Paso East
  • Premier High School - El Paso West
  • Premier High School - Del Rio
  • Premier High School - Dayton
  • Premier High School - Comanche
  • Premier High School - CTE Center of Edinburg
  • Premier High School - Brownwood
  • Premier High School - Brownsville
  • Premier High School - Austin at American YouthWorks
  • Premier High School - Austin North
  • Premier High School - Austin South
  • Premier High School - Abilene
  • Premier High School - Arlington
  • Premier High School - San Angelo
  • Premier High School - Odessa
  • Premier High School - Gallery Furniture North

Premier High School Online; 9-12

iSchool High; 9-12

  • iSchool of Lewisville
  • iSchool High at University Park
  • iSchool High of The Woodlands

Founders Classical Academies; K-12

  • Founders Classical Academy of Lewisville
  • Founders Classical Academy of Frisco
  • Founders Classical Academy of Schertz
  • Founders Classical Academy of Flower Mound
  • Founders Classical Academy of Mesquite
  • Founders Classical Academy of Leander
  • Founders Classical Academy of Corinth

Classical Academies; K-12

  • Fallbrook Academy
  • Tyler Classical Academy
  • Humble Classical Academy
  • Edinburg Classical Academy
  • Garland Classical Academy
  • Classical Academy - Permian Basin
  • Coppell Classical Academy
  • Clay Classical Academy
  • Austin Classical Academy
  • Beaumont Classical Academy
  • Carrollton Classical Academy
  • Denton Classical Academy
  • Huntsville Classical Academy
  • Mainland Preparatory Classical Academy
  • Pasadena Classical Academy
  • The Woodlands Classical Academy
  • El Paso Classical Academy

Quest Collegiate Academies; Pre-K-8

  • Quest Collegiate Academy - Crockett
  • Quest Collegiate Academy - Jasper
  • Quest Collegiate Academy - Shenandoah

Amarillo Collegiate Academy; K-12

The Foundation School for Autism; 3-7-year-olds

iSchool Virtual Academy of Texas; 3-12

ArkansasPremier High Schools; 9-12
  • Premier High School - Little Rock
  • Premier High School - North Little Rock

Founders Classical Academies; K-12

  • Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy

Quest Academy; 6-12

  • Quest Academy of West Little Rock

Finances

ResponsiveEd Foundation

The ResponsiveEd Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting ResponsiveEd schools. The foundation was founded in an effort to expand the reach of ResponsiveEd schools.[10]

In 2018, the ResponsiveEd Foundation won first prize on North Texas Giving Day for having the most donors make a contribution to the foundation. The contributions totaled more than $63,000 across 209 donors.[11]

Bonds

Rather than relying on philanthropy to build or acquire new schools, ResponsiveEd employs a cycle of lease, grow, purchase, and expand to fuel its district growth.[12]

According to 2015 data, ResponsiveEd has earned a Standards & Poor's BBB rating, this is the highest given to any charter organization in Texas.[12] In 2016, ResponsiveEd received the backing of Texas’ Permanent School Fund (PSF), providing the public school district with loan guarantees and leverages Texas’ AAA rating.[13]

Media Attention

Awards and recognition

In 2018, ResponsiveEd earned all possible distinctions in accountability ratings.[14]

ResponsiveEd became the world's first company to launch Google's G-Suite Enterprise for Education in 2018.[15]

ResponsiveEd co-founder and CEO, Chuck Cook, was named 2016 Texas Charter School Leader of the Year by the Texas Charter School Association (TCSA).[16]

ResponsiveEd school, Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, ranked third in the state of Arkansas based on its 2016 ACT Aspire Exam academic results.[17] Academic rankings were compiled by the University of Arkansas for Education Policy for its Outstanding Educational Performance Awards.[17]

Controversy

Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times wrote that the Walton Foundation had given "significant support" to Responsive Ed.[18]

In 2014 Zack Kopplin of Slate used an Open Records Request to obtain Responsive Ed's biology workbooks. According to Kopplin, the books "overtly and underhandedly discredit evidence-based science and allow creationism into public-school classrooms."[19]

ResponsiveEd disputed the allegations, asserting that the biology materials were constitutionally acceptable as written. In response to the allegations, ResponsiveEd reviewed the workbook in question, "updating it in order to: (1) ensure that the evidence for evolution is presented in an objective and unbiased manner, and (2) avoid any misinterpretations that ResponsiveEd is endorsing—or disapproving of—religion." [20]

References

  1. "RESPONSIVE EDUCATION SOLUTIONS Form 990 2015". ProPublica. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  2. Staff. Check out charter schools at showcase. 2018-07-28. The Cross Timbers Gazette. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  3. Bob Weir. Weir: Providing education options for our children. 2018-02-19. The Cross Timbers Gazette. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  4. ResponsiveEd. History. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  5. Premier High Schools. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  6. ResponsiveEd. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  7. Premier High Schools. About. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  8. Lindsey Kastner. Charter school opens with autism in mind. 2010-10-12. My San Antonio. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  9. Staff. Texas Tribune. Texas Public Schools Explorer ResponsiveEducation Solutions. Page accessed February 28, 2019.
  10. Weisenburger, Bridget. "Introducing The ResponsiveEd Foundation".
  11. "Texas giving day". USA Posts.
  12. Texas charter school operator ResponsiveEd(R) gains support in the financial community as it opens new schools across the state (Press release). 2015-08-13. CNBC.
  13. "ResponsiveEd Funds Growth of Charters Schools Through $65 Million Bond Sale" (Press release). Charter School Facilities Initiative. 2016-11-15. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  14. Texas Education Agency (TEA). More than 400 campuses earn all possible distinctions in 2018 accountability ratings. 2018-08-29. North Texas e-News. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  15. USA Breaking News. ResponsiveEd Becomes Google’s First G Suite Enterprise for Education Customer. 2018-07-19. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  16. Christine Isett. "TCSA's Leader and Teacher of the Year". Texas Charter Schools Association. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  17. Cynthia Howell. “For Arkansas test-takers, ‘ready’ just OK; half of state’s students face improvement plans this fall”. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  18. Brantley, Max. "Arkansas charter school operator teaching creationism in Texas." Arkansas Times. Thursday January 16, 2014. Retrieved on February 5, 2014.
  19. Kopplin, Zack. "Texas Public Schools Are Teaching Creationism." Slate. January 16, 2014. Retrieved on February 5, 2014.
  20. Challenge to Responsive Education Solutions' Biology Course. February 11, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2019.

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