| Location | California |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Bob Lenz & Daniel McLaughlin[1] |
| Website | envisionschools.org |
Envision Education is a Bay Area network of charter schools, founded in June 2002 by Daniel McLaughlin and Bob Lenz,[2] that currently runs five public middle and high Envision Schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.[3]
Envision also operates Envision Learning Partners, a coaching and training division working with schools across the country to adapt and adopt the Portfolio Defense model. ELP works with more than 1,000 educators in 30+ school networks and reaching more than 200,000 students.
Investment
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helped launch the school network with a $3 million investment in 2003 to form an initial group of five charter schools.[4] In 2006, the foundation invested another $6.9 million aimed at helping the program duplicate its arts and technology programs.
Schools
Current
- City Arts & Leadership Academy in San Francisco, opened in 2004 with an inaugural class of 100 freshmen.[5] The school now has students in all four high school grades starting with the 2007-08 school year. CAT graduated its first class of seniors in 2008.
- Envision Academy of Arts & Technology in Oakland, California, opened in 2003[6]. In the 2024-25 school year, it served about 200 students in grades 6-12.[7]
- Impact Academy of Arts & Technology in Hayward, California, opened for 2007-08 with 125 students in grade 9.[8] Today, it serves over 700 students in grades 6-12.
Combined with other Envision Schools
- Marin School of Arts and Technology (MSAT), Novato, California
- Metropolitan Arts and Technology Highschool, San Francisco, California
References
- ^ Connie Matthiessen (July 17, 2014). "Charter School Integrates ‘Deeper Learning’". EdSource. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ^ "Rebooting the American High School With Neuroscience and Purpose Learning". Sanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ^ Lenz, Bob. "A Model for Charter Schools: The Marin School of Arts and Technology", The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Accessed December 15, 2007.
- ^ "New Investment in Envision’s Network of Charter High Schools Boosts Efforts to Expand" Archived 2007-10-10 at the Wayback Machine, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation press release dated November 29, 2005.
- ^ Knight, Heather. "Mayor's visit energizes Ingleside charter school's inaugural class", San Francisco Chronicle, December 24, 2004. Accessed December 16, 2007.
- ^ "About us". www.envisionacademy.org. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ^ "Official Enrollment Based on CDE Data". 2025.
- ^ "Charter schools safer, quieter, report finds" Archived June 6, 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Neil Gonzales and Kristofer Noceda, Inside Bay Area, 12 November 2007