American Indian Model Schools
Under the leadership of Ben Chavis (Lumbee), a Native American professor, AIPCS students made considerable progress in academic scores from 2000 to 2007, and enrollment increased at the school. The first middle school, AIPCS, received national recognition in 2007. Some of Chavis's disciplinary methods and his treatment of students and teachers generated controversy, and he resigned as principal in 2007. But the board voted to maintain him in an influential executive role at the school and with the model school system. In 2012 Chavis ended his ties with the charter system (although his children remained as students) and returned to his home state of North Carolina.
Frederick M. Hess
While at AEI, Hess has hosted public events with policymakers to discuss their visions for reforming American education. Notable speakers have included US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on cost-efficiency in K-12 schools, Congressman John Kline (R-MN) on the Republican vision to fix the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and former Washington, DC, Chancellor and current StudentsFirst CEO Michelle Rhee on how education leaders can transform failing schools. Hess has also led major conferences on the Common Core State Standards Initiative, civic education, the federal role in education, and school funding.