Hense is chairman and co-founder of Friendship Public Charter Schools, serving more than 4,000 students on nine campuses in D.C. and Baltimore. Last week, 110 of those students won the D.C. Achievers Scholarship, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Originally from St. Louis, Hense moved to the District after graduate school, and has worked on behalf of students ever since.


What drives your passion for charter schools?

It really was more of a passion for trying to reweave the fabric of community, and there is no such thing as a good community that does not have good schools. It was about trying to rebuild some of the communities in Washington through good schools.

About 96 percent of Friendship graduates have gone on to college. What’s your trick?

The goal has always been to get kids in college, so there’s been a heavy emphasis on college-preparatory work, even at the junior high level. In addition, we do have a longer school day, and our after-school programs are standards-based — in many systems after-school programs are playtime. Ours may be taught in a more playful way, but after-school is an extension of the learning day.