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 …


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 …


Mountaineers Are Always Free…To Pass Terrible Charter School Legislation

In 2019, West Virginia became the 46th state (including D.C.) to enact a charter school law. The state has not yet approved a charter school, with the first application being denied in 2020. But less than …


How Has COVID-19 Changed Education and Charter School Policy Priorities?

This year, NACSA’s annual survey reached out to education advocacy organizations across the country to identify what charter school and authorizing priorities they expect to work on in the new year, as …


Why We Need High-Quality Charter Schools Now More Than Ever

Karega Rausch, President and CEO of NACSA and Ebony Lee, Partner at Charter School Growth Fund have gotten together to discuss the risks of charter school moratoriums and why we need high-quality …


A Reality Check for Evaluating the Fiscal Impact of Charter Schools

One of the blockbuster bills from the 2019-20 legislative sessions was AB1505 in California. Enacted in October 2019, AB1505 made a number of significant changes to the state’s charter school sector, but …


Words of Wisdom: Our Live Event with the National Charter Collaborative

If you missed our live joint event, “Centering Communities: Why Charter Leaders Excel in Crisis” with the National Charter Collaborative (NCC), you still have an opportunity to view and engage with our …


Federal Activities to Support High Quality, Accountable Charter Schools: Ideas for the Biden Administration

The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has a long, bipartisan history of addressing charter school opportunities and challenges honestly. We believe it is the responsibility of every authorizer to live …


A Stimulus Package and a New Secretary of Education, Oh My!

When it rains, it pours. After very little education news coming from the Hill or the White House over the last couple of months, we now likely have a new and desperately needed stimulus package …