The VOA Selection Criteria
- Small schools: Research shows that
students are more successful in small school environments.
Students receive more attention and are able to form
strong relationships with their teachers in small
schools. Their size allows teachers to work closely
with parents and students to develop individualized
learning plans that address the learning style of
the student, resulting in a more beneficial learning
experience for all involved.
- A focus on marginalized students:
Volunteers of America is committed to working with
children and families in need. Currently, many students
are not served well by the traditional public school
system. Some of these students fit the traditional
“at-risk” profile, but many others have
been pushed to the margins for reasons such as unique
learning styles, lack of social skills and nonconformity.
Volunteers of America wishes to assist in the creation
of schools that will help all students succeed.
- A focus on service learning: Service
learning is an educational strategy where students
gain and apply academic knowledge and critical thinking
skills to address genuine community needs. It is a
powerful and authentic method of learning that gives
students opportunities to reflect on their place in
the world. As our name suggests, Volunteers of America
believes that all persons are assets for their community,
and seek to extend to all youth the opportunity to
contribute as a volunteer and community-creator.
- Schools that fill a void in the community:
Volunteers of America is committed to assisting in
the development of educational opportunities that
do not currently exist in the community. In addition
to being innovative, schools seeking Volunteers of
America sponsorship should have curriculum design
that is research-based, supported by best practices
and aligned with the Minnesota Graduation Standards.
- A focus on racial, ethnic and socio-economic
diversity: As our society and our schools
have become increasingly segregated, Volunteers of
America strongly believes in the importance of diverse
learning environments. In areas with more homogeneous
populations this can be achieved through partnerships
with urban schools and organizations.
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What VOA Offers to the Charter
Schools It Sponsors
- Non-profit management and governance expertise:
Volunteers of America has over 105 years experience
in non-profit management and governance. We offer
free technical assistance to our schools in board
development and financial management in the form of
workshops and consultation.
- An active and supportive partner in the
creation and success of your school: Volunteers
of America staff have experience in the development,
operation and regulation of charter schools. Our agency
believes that a strong relationship between charter
school and sponsor greatly increases the school’s
chances for success. VOA is a supportive partner of
the schools it sponsors with regular communication,
site visits, attendance at selected board meetings
and on-going technical assistance.
- Opportunities for partnerships with other
VOA programs: Volunteers of America operates
over 20 social service programs throughout the state
of Minnesota, ranging from foster care to senior services.
These programs provide exciting opportunities for
partnership with your school.
- Opportunities to learn and share with other
schools in VOA charter network: Volunteers
of America intends to sponsor a number of charter
schools throughout Minnesota. Volunteers of America-sponsored
schools, while sharing some core hallmarks, will be
very diverse in mission and operation. VOA will host
bi-annual meetings for its charter schools that will
offer helpful workshops and ample time and forums
for sharing and learning from one another. In addition,
we will establish an online forum to allow schools
to share with each other as they grow.
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What VOA Expects from Sponsored
Schools
- Fulfillment of all aspects of charter contract,
most importantly meeting the academic and nonacademic
goals.
- Participation in the Minnesota Association of Charter
Schools Accountability Project or a similar continuous
improvement process.
- All state mandated reporting and audits are finished
and submitted on time.
- Quarterly Reports to Volunteers of America.
- Submission of monthly financial reports
- Submission of all minutes from meetings of the Board
of Directors
- Participation in VOA charter network activities
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VOA Application Process 
- Charter school developers must submit the appropriate
materials to the VOA Charter School Office two months
prior to the Department of Education deadlines (June
1 for the August 1 deadline, etc.). This submission
must include nine copies of a business plan aligned
to the VOA Business Plan Template, available here,
and two copies of a complete charter school proposal
aligned to the Department of Education format, available
here.
- Our charter advisory board reviews charter school
applications through the filter of the VOA charter
school hallmarks. The charter advisory board is comprised
of representatives from other charter school sponsors,
charter school directors, charter school support organizations
and VOA staff. The participation of these charter
school experts results in the selection of top-quality
charter schools whose mission and purpose are in alignment
with VOA.
- If a proposed school meets these criteria and receives
strong positive feedback from the advisory board,
the founding group is invited for an interview with
the advisory board and the CEO of the organization.
The interview will focus on school alignment with
VOA vision/mission, the educational and financial
viability of the proposal and the founding group's
capacity to implement an idea into a reality. Groups
with members whose expertise covers a broad range
of skills will be favored.
- Founding groups of schools that are chosen to move
forward are required to undergo criminal background
checks at their own expense. All information submitted
is private and will not be viewed by anyone other
than VOA Charter School staff. Founding groups are
then invited to a second interview with the CEO of
VOA and VOA Charter School staff.
- A recommendation is made to the VOA Board of Directors
to approve sponsorship of the school. VOA Charter
School staff will work with founding groups to ensure
the charter school proposal meets MN Department of
Education criteria.
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VOA Charter School Sponsorship
Guide
For a full description of our program
please download the VOA of Minnesota Charter School
Sponsorship Program Guide, available here.
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