Walmart Family’s Giving Helps Drive Charter School Movement

The foundation led by the clan behind retail giant Walmart has become a driving force in the growth of charter schools nationwide and gained significant influence in education policy, according to The New York Times.

The Walton Family Foundation has spent more than $1-billion on education since 2000, making it one of the leading private financial backers of reform efforts. Marc Sternberg, the group’s director of K-12 school reform, said it has given grants to one in four charter start-ups nationwide.

The foundation has played a major role in the expansion of publicly financed, privately operated charters in several cities, particularly Washington, D.C., and its grants influence debate on divisive issues such as private-school vouchers and teacher evaluation, the Times writes. It is also a major supporter of education charity Teach for America, a steady supplier of instructors at charter schools.