NACSA Blog

NACSA Blog

Press Releases


National Association of Charter School Authorizers Elects Leaders

James N. Goenner, Executive Director of Central Michigan University’s Center for Charter Schools, was elected last week to serve as Vice Chair of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA). NACSA …


Charter Schools Perform when District & Political Backing is Evident

Chicago — Charter school performance varies considerably across the nation, as indicated by today’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, but the independent public schools outperform traditional schools when political and …


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One Founder’s Lessons Learned in a Year Like No Other

This blog post was written by Aasimah Navlakhi, CEO of BES. BES Fellows spend countless hours, days, weeks, and months planning, working in high-performing schools as resident leaders, distributing thousands of flyers, …


Community-Centered Education Isn’t New: Lessons Learned From Reviewing a Public Charter School Application for Endazhi-Nitaawiging, Indigenous Education By and For Its Community

This blog post was written by David Greenberg, Director of Leadership Development at NACSA. These are David’s reflections after participating in the new public charter school application process with Osprey Wilds ELC, and do not necessarily …


Oregon Charter School Weighted Lottery Bill Relies on Lessons Learned from Pilot Program

A bill pending in the Oregon Senate, would permit charter schools to use a weighted lottery so that they can give enrollment priority to traditionally underserved students. If the bill is enacted, …


How Diverse-by-Design Public Charter Schools Meet Community Needs

This blog post was written by Sonia C. Park, Executive Director, Diverse Charter Schools Coalition. The mission of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition is to catalyze and support the creation and expansion of high-quality, diverse-by-design …


Meeting Community Aspirations in MN: Community-Centered Charter Schooling in Action

This blog post was written by David Greenberg, Director of Leadership Development at NACSA. These are David’s reflections after participating in the new school application process with Osprey Wilds ELC, and do …


Four States Show There’s More Than One Way to Expanding Charter School Authorizing Pathways

This year, West Virginia, Iowa, Florida, and Wyoming have enacted legislation to expand authorizing pathways. Prior to these bills, three of the four states only allowed district authorizers. In the case of …


Will We Finally Tap The Learning Expertise That Is Present in Oft-Overlooked Communities?

Please find the full op-ed originally posted on the Education Post website in May 2021.  Karega Rausch is the president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. Naomi N. …


Assessments Must Be Part of the Post-COVID Education World

States and schools now have a clear understanding of their annual assessment pathway, waiver or not, with the majority of states pursuing testing. (As NACSA has stated before, assessments in 2020-2021 should …


Florida Expansion of Authorizing Blemished by Late Discriminatory Amendment

What originally caught our eye on Florida’s SB 1028 was the expansion of authorizing privileges to higher education institutions. Technically, colleges in Florida were already allowed to authorize charter lab schools, but SB 1028 would …


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Transformative Charter Schools Are Not Created in a Lab: Here’s Why

This blog post was written by Susie Miller Carello, Executive Director, SUNY Charter Schools Institute.  At the State University of New York Charter Schools Institute (SUNY), we believe that all students, regardless of where they …