How The Mind Trust Is Using Federal Grants to Expand Charter Schools in Connecticut

How The Mind Trust Is Using Federal Grants to Expand Charter Schools in Connecticut

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The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that has helped launch more than 50 Indiana charter schools, is expanding its operations into Connecticut. Armed with approximately $69 million in federal funding, the organization aims to more than double the number of students enrolled in Connecticut charter schools.

This expansion changes the nonprofit's approach as it attempts to replicate its decades-long Indiana model in a state with a vastly different educational system. While the organization has spent twenty years incubating school choice in the Hoosier State, the move into New England presents unique political and structural hurdles.

The $69 million federal expansion plan

According to a grant summary from the federal government, the Charter Schools Program funding will be used to increase Connecticut’s charter school capacity by roughly 13,000 seats across 31 schools. The Mind Trust Connecticut intends to facilitate the creation of 14 new schools, while supporting the replication or expansion of 17 existing ones.

The nonprofit established a Connecticut-based affiliate in 2024 to manage this growth. Through its North Star Fellowship, the affiliate has already begun launching new schools, with more expected to debut next year. To ensure equitable access, the organization expects at least 85% of the schools receiving these funds to enroll a share of economically disadvantaged students similar to that of local school districts.

The scale of this ambition is reflected in the projected student numbers:

Metric Connecticut Charter Sector (Current) Mind Trust Connecticut Goal
Total Students Approximately 12,000 Increase by ~13,000 seats
Number of Schools 23 31

Structural hurdles in the land of steady habits

Success in Connecticut will require managing a regulatory environment that differs sharply from the Indiana model. In Indiana, the charter school system is well-established, featuring over 130 schools and roughly 56,000 students. In contrast, Connecticut’s charter sector remains relatively small.

One major difference lies in how these schools secure their survival. In Indiana, approved charters do not require individual funding decisions from the state legislature. In Connecticut, however, the process is far more precarious. Even after the Connecticut Board of Education grants initial approval, a school cannot open unless the state legislature provides the necessary funding.

“Oftentimes a charter will be granted, and then it’s hard to launch that school because the legislature is not willing to fund it,” Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust, told Chalkbeat.

The economic stakes are high for families currently stuck in the system. The Mind Trust Connecticut cited waitlists exceeding 5,000 students as a primary driver for the expansion. However, the organization is entering a state where the public education system is already performing well. Connecticut’s most recent results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress show reading and math scores at or above national averages.

The push for increased policy influence

Beyond the immediate goal of adding classroom seats, the expansion serves a broader strategic purpose for the organization. By proving its model works outside of its home state, The Mind Trust can increase its standing with both government agencies and private donors.

“A group like The Mind Trust also has an interest in demonstrating impact beyond their home and that’s going to attract further or additional resources from private philanthropies and in this case from government,” said Christopher Lubienski, an education policy professor at Indiana University, as reported by Chalkbeat. Christopher Lubienski

Lubienski said that such success would effectively increase the organization’s “policy influence and not just their resource impact.” Part of this influence involves shifting public perception. The Mind Trust’s strategy in Connecticut includes “creating demand” to raise awareness of charter schools as a viable educational option.

The organization is specifically targeting achievement gaps. The Mind Trust cites data showing that test scores for Black and Latino students in Connecticut charter schools are higher than those in traditional public schools. To support this, the affiliate plans to publish a statewide dashboard to track and display charter school performance data.

“We feel like there’s a moral imperative to share the lessons that we have learned for two decades now, and to walk alongside other leaders and other communities,” said Brandon Brown.

While Indiana’s Department of Education also received a portion of this federal grant in 2023, the Connecticut expansion represents a test of whether a charter-heavy advocacy model can take root in a state where the K-12 system has remained largely unchanged for decades.

Worth a look

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