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 …


Smarter Growth: Indiana Replicates High-Performing Schools

Careful replication of high-performers is one important method for growing high-quality schools. The Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation is doing just that, with recent approvals of seven new charter schools—six of which are replications. …


500 New Charter Schools, 270K More Charter Students

The National Alliance has released new numbers from its Public Charter Schools Dashboard showing that this past fall 500 new charter schools opened their doors and an additional 270,000 students enrolled in charter schools …


Pending Charter Closure in D.C.

Washington, D.C. officials recently voted to begin revoking Imagine Southeast’s charter, citing its failure to meet academic achievement expectations as well as four out of five goals in its charter agreement. Opened …


Waiting on Recommendations in Indiana

Ball State University’s Office of Charter Schools is preparing to release recommendations on the renewal of twenty schools. The recommendations, expected March 1st, are the first that Ball State has produced following …


A Call for Quality Schools

Cross-Posted from the Fordham Institute’s “Choice Words” blog. Last week, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) launched “One Million Lives,” a multi-pronged campaign to provide better schools to one million …


Changing One Million Lives

Today, NACSA launched One Million Lives, a multi-pronged campaign to provide better schools to one million children by closing failing charter schools and opening many more good ones. WASHINGTON, D.C. – While a …


A Call for Quality: National Charter School Authorizers Group Says More Failing Schools Must Close For Reform to Fully Succeed

While a great many public charter schools are among their states’ best performers and are paving the way for educational innovation across the U.S., too many are failing to provide a quality …


Charter School Enrollment on the Rise

Earlier this week, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) released its annual market share report (PDF). The report shows that charter school enrollment continues to grow rapidly. From 2010-11 to 2011-12, …


Chicago Public Schools Promises Accountability for Low-Performing Charters

Chicago Public Schools today announced the process and timeline for its upcoming  renewal process on Tuesday, promising that “charter schools that do not meet the terms of their contract will not be …


Ask the Experts: Focus on Special Education Oversight

The 2012 edition of NACSA’s  Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing provides authorizers with new guidance related to the oversight of special education. Specifically, it says quality authorizers: Enlists expertise …