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In 2011, some of Charlotte’s leading private and corporate foundations formed a partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to implement innovative school turnaround interventions affecting use of talent, time, and technology, and engaging parents and communities at West Charlotte High School and its feeder elementary and middle schools. In this report, Public Impact provides an overview of the Project L.I.F.T. strategy and reflects on successes, challenges, and lessons from the initiative. Though L.I.F.T. fell short of its very lofty and highly publicized goals, its legacy includes the launch of Opportunity Culture in district schools and significant insights about how private foundations can work with public school districts to implement innovative ideas that help turn around low-performing schools.

 

Read the Full Report | Read the Executive Summary

Leading Charlotte foundations formed a funding collaborative to support a five-year district turnaround initiative to dramatically improve educational outcomes for students in the West Charlotte High School corridor, one of the city’s lowest-performing feeder zones. The “Project L.I.F.T.” initiative involves four areas of education intervention: increasing teacher effectiveness; extending learning time; increasing access to and use of technology; and engaging parents and the community in schools. This report examines the genesis of the Project L.I.F.T. initiative, the partnership between the district and private and corporate philanthropists, and strategies to achieve improved graduation rates, student performance, and student growth in the Project L.I.F.T. learning community. Just past the midway point in implementation, the report also considers Project L.I.F.T.’s early successes, impact on the district, and lessons learned. Download the Full Report or the Executive Summary.