NACSA Blog

NACSA Blog

Press Releases


NACSA Selects Third Cohort for Leaders Program

The success of the charter school sector depends on having strong authorizers capable of managing a portfolio of high-performing schools and ensuring that every charter school provides an outstanding education to its …


Strong Authorizing Practices Produced Better Schools for 230,000 Students in 2013

More than 230,000 students are attending better schools in 2013 because of the actions of charter school authorizers across the country, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA). Authorizers …


National Association of Charter School Authorizers and the Charter School Growth Fund release recommendatons for successful replication of high-performing charter schools

State policies must change to differentiate and grow high-performing charter schools and weed out the low performers according to a report released today by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) …


NACSA Calls on Nation’s Charter School Authorizers to Act Now to Maintain Accountability

In a statement released today, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) cautioned that while the upcoming shift to Common Core standards provides a long-term opportunity to improve the nation’s schools, it …


NACSA releases recommendations on accountability measures for alternative charter schools

The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) today released Anecdotes Aren’t Enough: An Evidence-Based Approach to Accountability for Alternative Charter Schools, a report that sets out recommendations for appropriate accountability systems …


One Authorizer in California, Part 1: ‘Charter Wars’ and Chocolate

Here are edited excerpts of Part 1 of our Story Suite conversation with Gail Greely, director of the Charter Authorizers Regional Support Network, a program of the Alameda County Office of Education. …


Authorizing Matters in New Health of Charter Movement Report

Yesterday, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (the Alliance) released the second edition of its Health of the Charter Public School Movement report. The report contains a wealth of information about the …


What You Need to Know, Now: 3/4/16

1/28/16 Dear Colleague Letter, 2/26/16 FAQs Last week, the US Department of Education issued a new Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) document concerning the transition to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The …


This #SuperTuesday, Demand Quality Charters Be Part of the Discussion

While many of us are tired of well-worn campaign tropes such as “the kids are our future,” education issues aren’t getting much traction at all in the primary campaigns. We’re ready to …


Charter Schools in Alabama: A Deliberate Foundation for Quality

Alabama has been a special interest of mine ever since I started working at NACSA. Coming from a life and career in a state with the 2nd oldest charter school law, California, …


Are More Authorizers Needed in Louisiana?

Since 2012, Louisiana has allowed for “local charter authorizers” to be approved by the state board for authorizing authority.  By law a local charter authorizer can be a state agency or nonprofit …


Future Authorizers in Alabama: Finding Common Ground

Here are edited excerpts from our Story Suite conversation with two leaders learning about the potential to authorize charter schools in Alabama: Eleanor Dawkins and Melissa Snowden, both members of the Montgomery County …


#OpenTheDoors (or, How I Learned to Love the Federal Charter School Program)

This year NACSA is proud to help the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools spread its #OpenTheDoors campaign in support of high-quality charter schools. The campaign, launched earlier this month, draws attention to …


New Report Highlights Closure and Composition Trends in National Charter School Authorizing Landscape

Today, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) released its annual State of Charter Authorizing (SOCA) report through an interactive website featuring the largest amount of data about authorizing trends in …


100+ Point Car Inspection

Last month, NACSA released its Index of Essential Practices, an annual look at how authorizers around the country report implementing 12 operating practices that distill 25 years of authorizing experience into a …