Aiming to boost the growth of charter schools in cities nationwide, the Walton Family Foundation plans to announce a $250 million initiative Tuesday to help charters build and expand their sites. A major obstacle to starting charters is finding space, and many divert money from instruction to pay for facilities. Foundation officials said most of the money will go toward low-interest loans, offered by nonprofit lenders, for which charters will be able to apply—funding that can otherwise be hard for them to get. The foundation anticipates the plan will help add charter seats for 250,000 U.S. children by 2027. Supporters hailed the philanthropic investment as a boon for the many families demanding quality choices. Read here
