Through rigorous research and analysis of school performance across Buffalo, the Cullen Foundation prioritizes improving access to high-quality schools for underserved populations.
In 2015, Cullen committed to dramatically increasing the number of seats in high-quality schools serving primarily economically disadvantaged students across Buffalo through four primary investment strategies:
- Replicating and growing proven high-performing charter schools
- Incubating new high-performing charter schools
- Supporting the academic growth of promising charter schools
- Investing in human capital pipelines that meet the needs of Buffalo schools
Beginning in 2023, Cullen engaged with several Buffalo charter schools to work together in cohorts, facilitated by national subject matter experts, to address four critical PreK-12 issues through shared learning, strengthening of best practices, and implementing innovative programs in:
- Early Literacy – Curricular Supports
- Early Literacy – Tutoring
- Talent (teacher recruitment and retention)
- Early College
Ten (10) local charter schools persist as sustaining members of these cohorts:
For more information on Cullen Foundation’s charter school focus area, please contact Mary Lou Rubé at MLRube@thecullenfoundation.org.