Agnostic About School Models
Bluum prides itself on its deliberate, governance-agnostic approach to school development. Unlike many education-related organizations, Bluum doesn’t push a narrow vision of what schooling should look like. Its portfolio includes classical academies, career and technical education schools like Elevate Academy, college-preparatory models like Gem Prep, International Baccalaureate programs like Sage International, and progressive approaches like Future Public School.
“They’re politically agnostic,” Aaron said. “And I think that helps a lot in a state like Idaho, that we don’t have only charters that are left-leaning or charters that are right-leaning. We’ve got that broad mix which meets the needs of the state.”
This diversity of models is intentional and strategic. “We’re education model-agnostic. We’re not saying here’s how to run your charter school,” said Toby Prehn, a board member at both Bluum and JKAF.
“What we’re saying is these things are incredibly important to us, student performance, whatever the metrics are, and it’s different for an Elevate Academy than it is for a Classical Academy. But once we have determined the important metrics, then it’s up to the school leader to figure out how to deliver those results.”
The value of offering a variety of models
In Idaho’s educational landscape, Bluum-supported schools span a wide spectrum, from progressive models focusing on project-based learning and social justice to classical academies emphasizing traditional curriculum, patriotism, and character development. This diversity reflects Bluum’s foundational belief that families deserve meaningful educational options.
“Being an organization so deeply rooted in family choice, I think that is one thing that makes Bluum so effective,” said Amanda Cox, Founder and Executive Director of Future Public School located in Boise, one of the more educationally progressive schools in Bluum’s portfolio.
Jason Bransford, CEO of Gem Innovation schools, which focus on college prep, seconds Cox’s sentiment. “Terry regularly gets all the CEOs together. We’re different kinds of schools, but we talk about the things that we’re wrestling with and the lessons we’re learning, and we’re able to collaborate and learn from one another quite a bit,” he said.
Cox said the gathering of school leaders feels like a safe space, where differences in educational philosophy matter less than the shared commitment to excellence in performance.
“I think we all stand in our truth of this is what we believe. There are things we can align on, and then things across that continuum that feel very different,” she said. “Bluum as an organization focuses on what we all have in common, and a deep belief that everyone doing this work does truly wake up in the morning believing in kids and families and having the best intent to support them.”
Bluum has focused on pushing quality and innovation within each school’s chosen model. Gem Prep, for example, has developed innovative hybrid learning models that combine online and in-person instruction, while also pioneering “learning societies” that support homeschool families.
One of Gem Prep’s newest innovations is “the Boise Basketball Learning Society for girls who want to play Division 1 college basketball,” Bransford said. “You do school for part of the day, basketball part of the day, and you toggle back and forth between the two.”
Bluum as an organization focuses on what we all have in common, and a deep belief that everyone doing this work does truly wake up in the morning believing in kids and families and having the best intent to support them.
Challenges of model agnosticism
While supporting a variety of models offers tremendous benefits, it also presents unique challenges for assessing and comparing schools with fundamentally different approaches and student populations.
Cox identified this as an area for growth. “When we’re looking at academic data or other metrics of each individual school, it’s like we’re aligning those metrics to one North Star,” she said. “But we’re not always considering that some schools have totally different frameworks and philosophies of what education should be. Sometimes it feels like, if we’re comparing schools in their success and growth and measurements, it’s like apples to oranges, because our schools are so different.”
Strategic coordination for expansion
Another challenge in supporting diverse educational models is ensuring that expansion plans remain strategic rather than competitive. As the number of Bluum-supported schools has grown, the organization has fostered increased coordination among school networks.
“Bluum has helped with conversations among several of us who are growing charter networks and making sure that we are constantly talking to one another about where we are growing and how we are growing, so that we’re not harming one another’s efforts,” Bransford said. “We’re doing better than we used to do on that. It used to be that we were kind of throwing darts in the dark and weren’t quite sure if we were going to step on one another’s toes.”
This coordinated approach that includes sophisticated market analyses by groups like Eschbacher Consulting out of Denver and Public Impact out of North Carolina helps ensure that each school can develop in ways that match community needs without undermining other quality options. Bluum has also sponsored regular parent surveys to see what parents are saying about their schools and what they want to see more of as well as less of.
Looking forward: Refining excellence across models
As Bluum looks to its next decade, school leaders see opportunities to further refine how the organization supports a variety of educational models while pushing for continuous improvement across all of them.
Through its commitment to educational diversity, Bluum has created a charter school ecosystem in Idaho that offers families meaningful choices while maintaining high standards across all models. This balanced approach – supporting distinctiveness while fostering collaboration – represents one of Bluum’s most significant contributions to Idaho’s educational landscape.
