NACSA Blog

NACSA Blog

Press Releases


NACSA President Tapped by National Journal to Launch Education Expert Blog

National Association of Charter School Authorizers’ (NACSA) President and CEO Greg Richmond joined fellow education leaders today to launch the National Journal’s Education Expert Blog (http://education.nationaljournal.com). The Education Expert Blog will feature …


NACSA President Applauds Findings of New Charter School Study

The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) President and CEO Greg Richmond released the following statement today in response to a report by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) …


NACSA President Emphasizes Role of Public Officials in Increasing the Quality of the Charter Sector

In celebration of National Charter School Week, President and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Greg Richmond headlined a panel discussion entitled Chartering the Course: The Leadership Role …


National Association of Charter School Authorizers Announces National Advisory Board

The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has announced twelve individuals who will serve as members of their National Advisory Board. NACSA’s National Advisory Board is composed of leaders from some …


Letter to Governor Spitzer

Over the past decade, the State of New York has made the right moves to ensure a system of high quality public charter schools. Several provisions found in Assembly Bill 4307-B approved …


Managing and Building Relationships with the Decision Makers

The strength of the relationship between a charter authorizer’s board and its staff has a major influence on the quality of the charter school authorizing.


Nevada Passes Legislation Creating State-Run District to Tackle Consistently Low-Performing Schools

Chicago, Ill. – Over the weekend, the Nevada legislature passed AB448, a significant piece of school reform legislation that will allow the state to transition its lowest-performing public schools to charter schools …


Unnecessary Concern about CMOs in Connecticut

CMOs are nothing to be scared of. They simply reflect one of many ways to organize and operate a charter school. Some charter school governing boards choose to work with them because they can bring a lot to the table in terms of expertise, curriculum, and resources. And nationally, the best CMOs are one of the drivers of high-quality charter school growth.


Friendly Fire from AEI

In The Paperwork Pileup, authors Michael Q. McShane, Jenn Hatfield, and Elizabeth English assert that charter authorizers are often creating “onerous and lengthy” application processes that may scare off charter operators. Why keep harking back to anyone’s “original intent” when we’ve got more than two decades of actual experience to guide practice?


NACSA Says American Enterprise Institute Report on Charter School Application Process Goes too Far, Calls for Focus on Balanced Authorizing Practices

Chicago, Ill. – The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) released the following statement in response to the recommendations in a report on authorizer accountability released today by the American Enterprise …


We Want YOUR Ideas for the Next Leadership Conference

NACSA’s 2015 Leadership Conference is in the works!  We are developing the schedule now for the October 19-22 program in Denver, Colorado and we want your session ideas! Our priority is to …


Lenders and Authorizers: Can We Talk?

What we quickly discovered is that the two groups have a lot in common, starting with a keen shared interest in strong, sustainable public charter schools. The report is also a pretty good short course for anyone interested in knowing how the two sectors work.


Greater Collaboration between Charter Authorizers and Lenders Can Ease School Facility Financing Burden, Report Concludes

Chicago, Ill. – Today the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) released a joint report aimed at increasing conversation and understanding between lenders and …


#CharterSchoolsWeek: Finding the Right Fit

My mother has always expressed to me that she only wants “what’s best” for me, and this is where my charter school story begins. At 14, I had been attending the same public school for eight years, yet I was unfamiliar with most teachers and students. I often felt invisible, especially during the times where I needed help, and I never knew who to talk to. I didn’t feel comfortable expressing my needs. My mother knew there were better choices for me, places where I could thrive academically and socially.
We found that choice in Perspectives Charter School.


Thirteen Years Later, I’m Still an Ambassador for Charter Schools

in my career at NACSA, I’m still that ambassador for quality charter schools—but in a different way.
I’m no longer speaking for one great school, but instead speaking for charter school authorizers. In their role as the gatekeepers of the charter movement, authorizers see the best and the worst of the charter sector.