NACSA Blog

NACSA Blog

Press Releases


Multi-State Analysis of Charter School Proposals and Approvals Reveals a Diverse Sector Shaped by Authorizers

Report uncovers increased share of freestanding school proposals, decrease in for-profit and “No Excuses” proposals, and few proposals receive philanthropic support.  CHICAGO — A new report released today by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) offers a never-before-seen …


New Digital Campaign Highlights the Need to Improve Charter School Authorizing

New explainer videos demystify the role of charter school authorizers, which remains largely misunderstood 25 years into the charter school movement. The critical role authorizers play in determining the overall quality of …


NACSA CEO Testifies to Congress on Power of Charter School Authorizing

On June 13, 2018, NACSA President and CEO Greg Richmond and a select panel of education reform leaders will testify in front of the House Education and Workforce Committee on the value of charter …


NACSA Testifies on CA Authorizing Bill SB 1362

Today, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Policy Director Veronica Brooks-Uy will testify before the California Senate Education Committee on SB 1362, a bill that addresses charter school authorizing issues …


New Report Identifies What Charter School Authorizers Do Differently to Achieve High-Performing Portfolios

New report finds successful authorizing depends on great leadership, institutional commitment, and strong professional judgment CHICAGO — Today, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) releases “Leadership, Commitment, Judgment: Elements of …


Needs Based Authorizing: Designing a Process to Fill the Gaps (Part 2 of 2)

Written by Margo Roen, Chief of New Schools & Accountability, Achievement School District In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the concept of needs based authorization—authorizing to “fill the gaps” in a …


Public Oversight Far from Lacking in Washington

Last week, Washington Governor Jay Inslee continued the illogical and partisan attack on charter schools that the state’s Supreme Court initiated a week earlier. In a letter opposing a special session to …


Money fuels charter-school dispute

Originally published in the Seattle Times on September 10, 2015 Friday’s Washington state Supreme Court decision against charter schools revealed that public school policy in Washington is about money — and only money. Relying …

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I’m Engaged! Connecting the Authorizer Community

NACSA is about community—bringing together authorizers of all types and sizes to learn and share together. What you put into your involvement with NACSA is what you get out of it. The …


Washington’s Court Decision Threatens to Disrupt 1,200 Students and Families

After decades of litigation against charter schools throughout the nation, Washington’s Supreme Court delivered the first and only decision that invalidated an entire state charter school law—over a technicality on how charter …


NACSA Calls on Washington State Governor to Save Charter Schools

Over the past three years, Washington’s public officials have worked carefully to implement the state’s new charter school law. It is because of their work that more than 1,200 children throughout the …


Needs Based Authorizing: Designing a Process to Fill the Gaps (Part 1 of 2)

Written by Margo Roen, Chief of New Schools & Accountability, Achievement School District From Nevada to Georgia, and everywhere in between, you have probably noticed an increasing interest in, and commitment to, …


Mississippi Adds Two More Quality School Options

NACSA congratulates the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB or Board) on the completion of another rigorous application process, resulting in two additional quality school options for students and families in North …


NACSA Membership — Evolving to Back-up Great Authorizing

When authorizers do their job well, they create brighter futures for our nation’s kids. They foster public school options that wouldn’t otherwise exist, ensuring that every child has access to a great …


Mississippi Children are Counting on us to Get it Right from the Beginning

Back-to-school ‘15 in Jackson, Mississippi looks better than ever. For years, Jackson families awaited passage of the legal framework that would enable the creation of new charter schools, and then for approval …