Alpha Public Schools was formed in response to a group of parents in East San José who wanted better options for their children. Intent on creating a high-quality public middle school, in 2010 these activist mothers approached John Glover. At the time he was a leader and former teacher in a high-performing charter network in Oakland. They convinced him to help them found a public charter school, one that would help their children acquire the academic skills they needed to go to college and thrive.