Where our work drives Lasting change.
Across four interconnected areas of focus, Momentum partners with education leaders to make systems more responsive — especially for the students those systems too often miss.
Explore Our Work
30+ States Impacted by Our Work
Years of Evaluating Alternative Schools
Areas of Focus in One Connected System
Goal: Ensuring All Students Have Access to a Quality Education
Accountability Policy & Practice
Momentum's accountability work focuses on school performance with an emphasis on highly specialized schools that are not well measured by typical state accountability systems — including alternative education campuses, standalone schools focused on students with learning disabilities, and schools with non-traditional instructional design (Montessori, Project-Based Learning, Dual Language Immersion, Competency-Based Learning, and more).
Services & Activities
Measure selection and alignment
Performance framework development
School, network, and portfolio evaluation
Policy analysis
Policy development
Technical Assistance
Charter School Facilities & Finance
Momentum’s policy team brings decades of experience to strengthen the facilities and funding options available to charter schools across the nation. The team’s experience ranges from years of on-the-ground charter advocacy work in Colorado, to support for federal facilities work to groundbreaking charter school facility surveys. Momentum’s extensive database of state policies and related impact data provides advocacy organizations (including the National Alliance and various state organizations) and policymakers with the best available data to inform public policy. Momentum’s technical assistance also supports schools accessing improved facilities through data and technical expertise.
Charter Schools & USDA Community Facilities Financing
| States by Percentage of Eligible Charter Schools Accessing USDA Financing | |
|---|---|
| Over 30% | |
| 10–30% | |
| 1–9% | |
| None to date | |
| No charter schools | |
"We will start construction on a permanent facility this fall, an incredible opportunity that was only made possible because of the support made available through Momentum Strategy & Research."
Kristin Foss,
Superintendent, Fernwaters Charter School, ID
Services & Activities
National Policy Trends
Policy Impact Analysis
Landscape Scans
Policy Development
Technical Assistance
Data Collection & Analysis
Facility Survey Development & Administration
School Evaluation
Momentum’s team combines analytical expertise with an extensive range of annually collected school performance data to evaluate school performance. Whether using publicly available data or schools’ internal assessment and student data, Momentum provides evaluations for all school types, from traditional schools to specialized schools serving unique populations, and for single sites to large portfolios of schools. In addition, Momentum’s team provides qualitative school evaluations to inform school improvement planning and priorities, as well as providing accreditation services for alternative schools in select states.
"Our school has benefited from Momentum’s leadership in the Alternative Education community. I have especially appreciated the opportunity to work directly with the Momentum team on our recent Diagnostic Review. Their approach is both thoughtful and practical — grounded in research, yet focused on real-world solutions that help schools better serve students."
Heather O'Mara,
Founder and CEO, HOPE Online Learning Academy Co-Op, CO
Services & Activities
Qualitative Reviews
AEC Accreditation
Portfolio Evaluation
Replication Readiness Review
Peer-to-Peer Reviews
Performance Evaluation
School Support
Momentum’s team provides a wide array of school support services, from assisting schools in selecting the best measures and assessments to developing goals for school improvement and accountability systems. Momentum has assisted hundreds of schools and oversight organizations across the country in finding the best measures and metrics to tell their stories in ways that statewide assessments and accountability systems can’t. Our Director of AEC Support also provides myriad professional development, networking, and community of practice opportunities, pulling from his 30 years of experience as a teacher and principal of an alternative education campus (AEC).
Services & Activities
School Improvement Planning & Implementation Support
AEC Staff & Teacher Professional Development
AEC Leader Coaching
Measure Alignment
Performance Frameworks
Goal Development
Communities of Practice
Survey Research & Development
Technical Assistance
"Momentum was an invaluable partner in helping Elevate Academy design and articulate an alternative performance framework that more accurately reflects the success of the students we serve. Their expertise, strategic guidance, and deep understanding of policy and systems helped us develop a model that has resonated with all stakeholders. As a direct result of this work, our authorizer (IPCSC) has now adopted an alternative framework for all their alternative charter schools.”
Monica White,
Founder & CEO of the Elevate Academies, ID.
If You're Rebuilding The System Around The Learner — Start Here.
Momentum supports and collaborates with a wide variety of K-12 education stakeholders to inform how they can improve policies and practices to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education, including schools and school networks, SEAs, LEAs, and charter school authorizers, local and national non-profit groups, and policy makers.
Policy Makers
Designing accountability systems that recognize specialized school’s missions.
Authorizers & Networks
Evaluating portfolios of schools for networks, authorizers, and charter school lenders.
Partner Organizations
Momentum provides policy and data analysis for other non-profit and advocacy groups to inform their strategic priorities.
Schools and School Networks
Supporting schools to strengthen their practices, from diagnostic reviews to improvement planning and implementation support.