We envision a Commonwealth where every young person is
ready to thrive, ready to lead,
ready to take charge of their future.

Every young person needs a school that sees them. Every community holds the wisdom to create it.

We work with communities to design new public schools where all young people can grow into a whole, healthy human.

If we can find the courage to re-imagine education together, we can create schools that change the trajectory of our kids' lives.

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HOW WE WORK

New schools don’t start with blueprints. They start with people. And with stories.

We create new schools the way strong communities are built — by listening first, then creating together – starting in Richmond.

We stand with those who have been overlooked, underestimated, and left waiting — especially Black and Brown families and students with special needs, and every young person still searching for a place to belong.

We listen – because Virginia schools belong to local people, and because Virginia's history is complicated.

Richmond raised leaders that led the nation towards change.  Oliver Hill, who helped tear down the lie of "separate but equal."  The courage of young people from Prince Edward County fueled the fight for educational justice.

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Richmond also fought against that equality. Massive Resistance — was designed to block, delay, and deny desegregation at every turn.

That resistance didn't die. It still shows up today – shaping who gets resources, access and who is told to wait.

But innovation in schools has also long been a part of our educational tradition.  

From A.V. Norrell to Virginia Randolph to Maggie Walker School, Open and Community High Schools, Franklin Military – each decade from 1860 to 1980 saw Black leadership creating schools that met the needs of their community, and the whole community.

Mistrust may be part of our inheritance. But so is hope.  Hope built from generations of making a way out of no way.

We always need schools created with community, for community.

Public education remains the heart of our neighborhoods — but we've paused our innovation too long.  Today's young people face challenges that yesterday’s models can’t always meet.

In Richmond: 

1 in 3 students nationally goes to a school created since 1990. In Richmond, fewer than 5 in 100 do.

Carnegie.org

95% of White 8th graders were proficient in Reading, versus only 44% of Black and 40% of Hispanic students.

Virginia Dpt of Education School Quality Data

Nearly 11,000 young people (53%) attend schools that don't meet Virginia's minimum standards.

Virginia Dpt of Education School Quality Data

This isn’t about blame. It’s about being honest — and about working together for something better.

WHO WE ARE

We are conveners.

While staff and board members lead the work, our role is to convene, listen, facilitate, and provide resources.

We are educators, parents, and community leaders with expertise in youth development, human-centered design, education and the private sector.  

We’re building something real — layer by layer — with honesty, grit, and a drive for excellence that never settles for “good enough.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Andrea Archer, BOARD CHAIR

  • David Endom, FINANCE CHAIR

  • Sarah Craig, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sarah Kathryn Craig

A person with short gray hair, wearing glasses and a red shirt, standing outdoors next to a pole.

    • Formerly Chief Development & Impact Officer at Boys & GIrls Clubs of Metro Richmond; 20+ years' experience developing financial resources, programs and partnerships to improve youth outcomes in Richmond. BS William & Mary; MSx Stanford Graduate School of Business

Rickkay L.T. King, Ph.D.

Smiling man in turquoise polo shirt against gray background

    • Co-Founder of Phoenix International School of the Arts (PISOTA) and Founder and CEO of The Now Boarding Corporation.  10+ years’ experience providing opportunities for marginalized youth through education and community programming.  BA Roosevelt University; MA, PHD Pepperdine University

Jon Bibbs

    • Formerly CEO of Richmond Prep. 20+ years of educational consulting.  Holds expertise in marketing strategies and management, realty, and music production. Holds a Master of Theological studies, from Grimke Seminary.

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Kristin Craig

A woman with short hair and glasses smiling indoors, blurred background with lights.

    • Formerly 9th, 4th and Special Education Teacher. 20 years' experience teaching and tutoring, including Teach for America, public charter schools in Anacostia, DC, and private schools in Costa Rica. BA Virginia Tech; MEd Arizona State University

GET INVOLVED

Turning ideas into action.

Big change starts small — when  everyday people step up, speak up, and shape solutions.

Here’s how we move the work forward:

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Share Your
Story

We collect! We're documenting a living record of what people in Virginia say they need from their educational ecosystems. 

Share your experiences about what’s working – and what’s not.

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Reimagine Education

We Gather! We host events – large scale and small groups - where you can learn about the national landscape of newly imagined schools. 

Listen in to Roland Martin's July 2024 Reimagining Education in Richmond's Town Hall

Children sitting at a classroom table drawing with pencils and looking at open books.

Create New Schools & Programs

We design!  We especially design with young people, parents, educators and other stakeholders who are furthest from opportunity.  When an idea becomes a plan, we support its launch.

See the work we've done since 2018 to design the The Harbor School for consideration in Richmond in late 2025.