Authorizing is the most consequential public school governance reform of the past two decades. For the last 20+ years, authorizers have been creating a new landscape, where school autonomy—balanced by fierce accountability and equitable access—could exist and thrive.
Just like the world around us, authorizing is evolving. It’s our job at NACSA to capture that, learn from it, and use it to inform our work to strengthen how authorizers support excellent schools. That’s why I’m excited to announce our annual State of Authorizing Report that seeks to provide insight into the work you do every day to ensure all kids have access to high-quality educational opportunities.
What do we know about authorizing today? Who is doing the work? Where do we have room for improvement?
These are the questions you are helping us answer. A HUGE thank you to all the authorizers who participated in the survey!
I invite you to spend some time digging into this text-light and content-rich report that covers four important areas:
- Who authorizes?
- Evolving definitions of school excellence
- Charter school applications and closures
- Authorizer staffing
At NACSA, we will incorporate these learnings into upcoming convenings and workshops. Our hope is this information provides you with a better understanding of the current authorizing landscape as well as inspiration to chart your next steps in this journey.
