As we close out 2014 and step into 2015, we pause to celebrate the many contributions our grantees have made on behalf of parents and families seeking better education options. In a year of many accomplishments, here are a few that stand out:

• Focusing on quality schools – Accomplishing quality schools at scale requires taking school accountability seriously. The DC Public Charter School Board and California Charter School Association have set an example in their efforts to improve authorizing practices and to make school performance data more accessible.

• Giving a voice to parents – A growing body of grantees serve as a convening force to bring together parents, a group whose voice is all to often drowned out by other interests. Families for Excellent Schools made sure that voice was heard as they built attention around the equitable treatment of charter schools in New York City, Connecticut and Boston.

• Building a leadership pipeline – Teach For America, Center for Urban Teaching and Relay are creating pathways to supply effective classroom teachers in autonomous schools of choice across the country. They are also serving as catalysts in the development of new and improved leadership pipelines for schools and partner organizations.

• Serving all students – All students deserve access to a high-quality education, especially high needs students, including English language learners or those with special needs. New Schools New Orleans has launched an effort to make high-quality special education services available to all families. With NSNO's leadership, the New Orleans charter community is strengthening its capacity and showing a renewed determination to demonstrate excellence in this important body of work.

• Intensifying our focus – With a renewed focus to develop deeper partnerships in target cities and an increased urgency to help families most in need, our board and staff have set a strategic course for our next five years of grant making. This plan affirms a more than 20-year commitment to solving what remains a critical challenge in our cities and nation.

We are thankful for those who share our passion, and look forward to a 2015 of shared progress and continued partnership with colleagues, new and old.