NACSA Blog

NACSA Blog

Press Releases


NACSA Announces Second Cohort of Authorizing Fellowship Program at University of Minnesota

Program continues to build pipeline of charter school authorizing talent Today, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) announced the second cohort of its Innovation in Education Fellowship at the University …


NACSA Names a Dozen Prominent Authorizing Professionals to Leaders Program

Today, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) announced the selection of the fifth cohort of its NACSA Leaders Program, a highly-selective and rigorous program providing leadership, management and authorizing training …


NACSA Applauds Passage of Washington State Bill to Save Charter Schools

CHICAGO – Yesterday, the Washington State House of Representatives passed SB 6194, a bipartisan bill allowing public charter schools to continue operating in the state. In response, Greg Richmond, president and CEO …


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 …


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 …


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Restarting for Real

A recent story in the Columbus Dispatch detailed the creative ways that low-performing charter schools in Ohio are avoiding closure. According to the report, “some schools have avoided the state’s charter-closing laws …


Improve Quality with Smart Policy and Strong Accountability

Last week, The Oregonian published an op-ed by NACSA president and CEO, Greg Richmond, arguing that the best way to improve the state’s charter schools is to strengthen accountability for their performance. Greg …


Lenders and Authorizers: Can We Talk?

When people talk about “market accountability” for charter schools, they’re usually referring to parents; you have to keep attracting “customers” in the form of parents and students, or you close. But because …


The Challenge Ahead

The new CREDO study on charter school performance was released two weeks ago, and it continues to make a big splash. It included great news about the strength of charter performance in …


On Charter School Discipline: Autonomy, Due Process, and Shared Responsibility

Yesterday, the SUNY Charter Schools Institute hosted a seminar for authorizers and charter school leaders on the laws governing school discipline. In New York, as in most states, charter schools have broad …


Action in the Statehouses: Part III

The majority of state legislative session are now adjourned or nearly adjourned and this week brings some victories and some surprises. In Nevada the full legislature sent AB 205 to Governor Sandoval, …


Staying Immersed

There is a really interesting thing going on in Washington, D.C.’s charter sector. The Public Charter School Board (PCSB) is moving toward approval of a new charter middle/high school (DC International or …


Texas-sized Improvements

NACSA’s One Million Lives campaign emphasizes growth and accountability:  we need both if we are to provide one million children with a better education. In a huge victory, the Texas legislature passed …


How much progress is enough?

Earlier this week my friend Checker Finn wrote a short, barbed blog saying in effect that charter folks shouldn’t brag too hard about outperforming dismal neighborhood schools when so many of our …


Action in the Statehouses: Part 2

Session deadlines keep coming and bills keep moving.  Monday night in Nevada the Senate unanimously passed AB 205, a comprehensive authorizing bill that institutes performance-based contracts, performance frameworks for each charter school, …