NACSA Blog

NACSA Blog

Press Releases


National Association of Charter School Authorizers Appoints Education Leaders to National Advisory Board

The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of seven distinguished professionals to its National Advisory Board. The 23- member board is comprised of leaders from …


National Survey Shows Charter School Closure Rates Dropped in 2010-2011 School Year

January 30, 2012 (Chicago, Ill.) – A report released today by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) indicates charter school closures have declined over the past three years. These findings …


NACSA Hails Congressional Action to Strengthen Charter School Authorizing

In adopting the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, Congress recognizes for the first time the important role charter school authorizers play in determining charter school quality, winning it praise from the National …


NACSA Announces 2009 Awards for Excellence

The NACSA Awards for Excellence program celebrates individuals and organizations that advance the authorizing profession in three fields: • Advancing Knowledge, • Improving Policy, and • Improving Practice. NACSA announced the 2009 …


The Fund for Authorizing Excellence

NACSA established The Fund for Authorizing Excellence (The Fund) earlier this year to provide direct support to NACSA members who are working to create charter environments that foster schools with high student …


What Happens When You Take the “Independent” Out of Independent Chartering Board

Maine and Hawaii are two of 17 states with an independent chartering board (ICBs). ICBs are a type of charter school authorizer often called a state charter commission. Where they exist, ICBs …


Rebuilding Our “Love Bubble” To Take Care of Our Charter School Community

MESA Charter High School is authorized by New York State Regents. This piece was written by Arthur Samuels, Executive Director, Pagee Cheung, Principal, Princess Francois, Assistant Principal of Math & Science, and …


Social Emotional Learning: The Missing Puzzle Piece in South Carolina Charter Schools

This blog post was written by Campbell Mims and Wendy Ward from the South Carolina Public Charter School District. The pandemic has changed everything in the lives of South Carolina Public Charter School District educators …


Minnesota Continues to Lead on Charter School Authorizer Accountability

Since 2009, when a massive overhaul of the state’s charter school law was enacted, Minnesota has been on the forefront of advancing authorizer accountability. A bill introduced in the Senate, with backing …


What It Looks Like, Why It Matters: Karega Rausch on Working #WithCommunities

In early 2021, NACSA embarked on a new journey to help charter schools, authorizers, and leaders prioritize the aspirations and needs communities have for their kids. Learn about the origins of this …


Updated March 10 | Federal Education Policy Response to COVID-19

NACSA is committed to sharing out regular updates on the latest federal COVID-19 information available. Primarily, these updates will focus on the latest packages Congress is considering and guidance from the U.S. …


Walking a Tightrope: Will New Mexico Bill Improve Charter School Board Oversight or Infringe on Autonomy?

For the last few years, legislators in New Mexico have been wrestling with a difficult question: how do charter school authorizers effectively oversee charter school governing boards in order to protect the …


West Virginia: When Charter School Quality Wins for Students

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a blog post detailing a bill out of West Virginia that would have been a recipe for disaster for kids and families choosing charter schools. At the …


NCSRC’s New High-Quality Authorizing State Profiles a Great Asset for the Field

Guest Post by Robin Chait and Lauren Outlaw, National Charter School Resource Center As the charter sector grows and evolves, it’s more important than ever to have high-quality authorizing policies and practices. …


NACSA’s Response to Biden-Administration’s Implementation of Statewide Testing

We applaud the Biden Administration for supporting implementation of statewide testing in 2020-2021, and not using results for high-stakes accountability. We also support the flexibility for states on timing and length of …