History

2001: Public charter schools in Indiana

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson became the first mayor in the country to authorize public charter schools—putting more control in the hands of educators and communities. Policy advisor David Harris created the Mayor’s Charter School Office, known today as the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation (OEI). Today, OEI oversees more than 40 schools serving about 18,000 students.

2006: The Mind Trust founded

After winning Harvard University’s Innovations in American Government Award, David Harris and Bart Peterson found The Mind Trust. Harris raises $73 million to develop innovative schools that give every child the opportunity for a world-class education.

2008: Education entrepreneurship

The Mind Trust recruits Teach for America and TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project) to Indianapolis to grow the number of talented educators available for Indianapolis schools. The organization also launches the Education Entrepreneur Fellowship to develop education nonprofits.

2011: Opportunity schools

The Mind Trust releases the Opportunity Schools report, which proposes the idea for innovation network schools, systemic changes like shifting resources from the district to school-level, and closing schools that don’t meet students’ needs.

2012: Charter School Incubator

The Charter School Incubator launches. The initiative is the organization’s first effort to support the launch of new public charter schools in Indianapolis. The George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academies and Christel House International were the first recipients of $1 million awards to launch schools. In 2025, each of these networks has several schools in Indianapolis, serving more than 5,000 students combined. 

2014: Innovation Network School Law and Fellowship

Indiana passes legislation allowing the governing board of Indianapolis Public Schools to authorize Innovation Network Schools within the district. The Mind Trust partners with the Mayor’s Office and Indianapolis Public Schools to develop the Innovation School Fellowship, which gave talented leaders time and resources to launch autonomous district schools in Indianapolis. In the 2024-2025 school year, 42% of students in IPS attended an Innovation Network School.

2016: Enroll Indy launches

Enroll Indy, Indianapolis’ unified enrollment system, launches through The Mind Trust’s Education Entrepreneur Fellowship. Today, IPS and the vast majority of charter and innovation network schools within IPS boundaries are part of the Enroll Indy OneMatch enrollment system. 

2018: Recognized results

Brandon Brown becomes CEO of The Mind Trust. A study by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that students in Indianapolis charter and innovation schools made significant academic gains compared to their peers in traditional district schools.

2020: Addressing COVID-19 challenges

The Mind Trust worked to address challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic faced by schools, educators, students, and families. The organization donated $100,000 to Gleaners’ Food Bank of Indiana, provided training for educators on virtual learning, became a founding partner of the Indianapolis eLearning Fund, and launched Community Learning Sites around the city to provide free e-learning sites for working families.

2021: Indy Summer Learning Labs launches

The Mind Trust rolls out a new strategic plan with the headline goal of tripling student proficiency within IPS boundaries by 2027. Indy Summer Learning Labs (ISLL) launches in partnership with United Way of Central Indiana, providing five-weeks of free or low-cost academic and enrichment programming during June and July, serving 3,000 students in its first year.

2022: Indiana Learns and a second Stanford study

The Mind Trust is selected by the Indiana Department of Education to manage Indiana Learns, a statewide math and reading tutoring grant program for eligible Hoosier students.

Stanford University releases a second study that shows Indianapolis charter school students achieve 64 more days of learning in reading and 116 more days of learning in math than their traditional district peers. 

2024: Expanding Impact to Connecticut

The Mind Trust’s impact expands statewide and nationally. In partnership with the IDOE, The Mind Trust replicates ISLL statewide to four new regions. Summer Learning Labs serves almost 9,000 students statewide in 2024.

The North Star Fellowship is launched in partnership with Latinos for Education Advocacy (LEAD) to grow high-quality charter schools in Connecticut.