NACSA believes that strong laws enable strong authorizing. In turn, strong authorizing leads to strong public education outcomes for students, families, and communities. That’s why we regularly update our state policy recommendations to reflect today’s challenges and opportunities in charter school oversight.
Recently, we’ve made several important updates and revisions to our recommendations to ensure that state laws not only uphold rigor and accountability, but also support innovation, equity, and sustainability across the charter sector.
What’s New and Why It Matters
Our revised recommendations address these key areas:
- Authorizer standards and evaluations to ensure charter school oversight is professional, transparent, and effective.
- Renewal and closure policies that put student outcomes at the center and prevent failing schools from remaining open by default.
- Innovation portfolios and alternative frameworks that create space for creative models and alternative schools while keeping accountability intact.
- School autonomy provisions to reduce red tape and allow schools to focus more energy on teaching and learning.
These updates reflect our commitment to helping authorizers strike the right balance to help schools thrive—holding schools accountable while giving them the flexibility to innovate.
What to Expect from NACSA
Over the next few months, NACSA will provide resources and support to help policymakers, advocates, and partners put these recommendations into action. You can expect:
- Model policy language to make adoption and alignment easier.
- Outreach from NACSA staff to partners in states where policy change is on the horizon.
- Guidance tailored to authorizers, policymakers, and advocates navigating these issues.
Join Us in Advancing High-Quality Authorizing
We’re excited to share these updated recommendations with you. The charter sector can only thrive when the laws and policies that govern it are strong. We call on authorizers, policymakers, and allies to take the next step: update laws, strengthen regulations, and align practices with these recommendations. NACSA is ready to partner with you by providing model language, practical tools, and tailored guidance to support change in your state. Together, we can ensure that every charter school is held to high standards, given the right level of autonomy, and positioned to deliver excellent outcomes for students and families.
