Scott Pearson 

Scott Pearson 

Board Member

Scott Pearson is a national leader in education policy and charter school oversight, currently serving as the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (PCSB). In this role, Scott has implemented significant reforms in how the Board approves and oversees charter schools, making it a national model for charter school authorizing.

Prior to joining PCSB, he served as associate assistant deputy secretary and acting director of charter school programs with the U.S. Department of Education. His drive for education reform began during his time in civic affairs in San Francisco, including co-founding and serving as board chair of Leadership Public Schools, a charter management organization serving low-income communities with college-preparatory high schools.

Prior to becoming active in education reform, Scott had a long career in business with America Online and Bain & Company, and he served as a trade negotiator during the Clinton Administration.


Most Recent Posts
No Shortcuts to Student Success: The Case for Statewide Annual Assessments
When I think about why I’ve dedicated my career to advancing and strengthening the ideas and practices of authorizing, I think about the students I’ve met over the years—bright, curious...
Raising the Bar: NACSA’s Updated State Policy Recommendations
NACSA believes that strong laws enable strong authorizing. In turn, strong authorizing leads to strong public education outcomes for students, families, and communities. That’s why we regularly update our state...
A New Path Forward: NACSA’s Bold New School Application Guidance
I’ll never forget a foundational principle I learned nearly two decades ago, while authorizing in Indianapolis: It should be hard to gain approval to start a new charter school. But...