In five years, New Schools has given 10,000 kids access to new schools, says Smith. Public charter schools provide an alternative to government-run schools by giving the school much more flexibility while maintaining accountability. She believes this flexibility encourages innovation and increased performance. Other portfolio items include: 1) Teachscape - an online teacher-training program, which uses a video case method of instruction 2) Successforall - a non-profit literacy program spun out of John Hopkins 3) Carnegie Learning - a for-profit literacy program competitor.