Imagine Schools, a national operator of nonprofit public charter schools, was founded by Dennis and Eileen Bakke. Eileen Bakke has been involved in education for 30 years. Her passion is mentoring teachers and creating a school culture that engages students in meaningful and effective learning.

Dennis Bakke, co-founder and CEO Emeritus of the AES Corp., a global power company, brings to Imagine Schools an impressive business background, including a pioneering approach to creating a decentralized organization. Both Dennis and Eileen are passionate about making a difference in education by implementing a unique organizational and operational structure that puts teachers and school leaders squarely in charge of the decisions affecting the schools they serve.

Imagine Schools are public tuition-free charter schools. Imagine Schools educates 20,000 students in 40 elementary and secondary schools in partnership with parents and local governing boards. At Imagine Schools, we believe that schools serve parents as they fulfill their responsibility to choose the best academic environment for their child, Imagine Schools’ goal is to provide each student in our schools with a challenging, effective program of study and strong moral development in a safe, nurturing learning environment.

At Imagine Schools, teachers and parents understand that test scores alone do not measure how well a school is performing. We believe that operating a successful school requires constant attention in six important areas that we call Measures of Excellence. We are passionate about constant improvement, and therefore we evaluate our organization and each of our schools by these measures of excellence.

1. Shared Values of integrity, justice, and fun allow every teacher, student, and parent associated with Imagine Schools to unite around common themes that guide our collective behavior.
2. Parent Choice and satisfaction are the most reliable indicators of the quality of our schools.
3. Academic Achievement balances instruction in reading, math, science, social studies, and the arts, and is measured by student learning gains as well as proficiency.
4. Positive Character Development in our schools is a high priority. We strive for growth in students’ character measured by positive changes in behavior and world view.
5. Economic Sustainability means every school in our family is financially able to stand on its own, which is the best indicator of that school’s ability to continue educating children over the long term.
6. New School Development enhances our ability to reach more children, more families, and more communities. As we increase our family of schools, more opportunities abound for Imagine Schools’ educators to grow professionally as well.