George P. Bush and charter schools

Uplift Education, which is North Texas' largest charter school network, brags that 100 percent of its 2010 graduating class of 98 students enrolled in college. A school fact sheet says the 200 seniors from the class of 2011 all got into college, "earning 1,100 college acceptance letters and $26 million in scholarships and grants, including five National Merit Scholarships, six Dell Scholars and one Gates Millennium Scholar."

The network says that 80 percent of its students will be the first in their family to attend college, 80 percent self-identify as ethnic minorities and 63 percent come from low-income households.

George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush, is the founding president for Uplift's Fort Worth regional board of directors. About three other board members will be appointed soon, officials said, with the possibility of expanding.

The organization has an array of individual and foundation backing, including from influential Fort Worth philanthropists who also traditionally have provided important private donations to the city's public schools.