NACSA commends the Alameda County Office of Education’s new Charter Authorizers’ Resource Network (CARSNet) and California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP) as they kick off the California Charter Authorizers Conference—the first-ever conference focused on improving the quality and oversight of California’s charter schools through authorizing.
California has more than 300 authorizers, entities responsible for oversight of the state’s more than 1,200 charter schools. Authorizers screen applications for quality, regularly monitor academic and fiscal performance, and take action to renew or close schools when necessary.
“Many of California’s charter schools are wonderful schools; however the few that continue to struggle divert attention away from the tremendous work being done to change children’s lives for the better,” said Greg Richmond, NACSA president and CEO.
“Quality authorizing is a proven solution to making sure every charter school is a great one and creating a consistently high-performing charter community in California. We are thrilled to see these organizations take the lead to build a foundation for quality authorizing across the state.”
California’s authorizers are unique in that two-thirds (67%) of the state’s authorizers manage only one or two schools. As a result, many authorizers around the state are stressed for time and resources.
NACSA has partnered with both CARSNet and CCAP, providing the national authorizing standards and best practices that inform their work.
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) is an independent voice for effective charter school policy and thoughtful charter authorizing practices that lead to more great public schools. Our research, policy, and consultation work advances excellence and accountability in the charter school sector. With authorizers and other partners, we have built the gold standard for charter school authorizing. Through smart charter school growth, these authorizers will give hundreds of thousands of children an opportunity for a better education each year. More at www.qualitycharters.org
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