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 …


New Report Examines Loophole that Allows Failing Charter Schools to Remain Open

Calls to close loophole known as “authorizer shopping” in order to provide better opportunities for kids A new report released today by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) finds authorizer …


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 …