Whitney Spalding Spencer

Director of Authorizer Development

Whitney Spalding Spencer is Director of Authorizer Development at NACSA. She is responsible for managing NACSA’s federal Charter Schools Program National Activities Grant work focused on identifying and disseminating authorizer best practices in charter school performance management, replication, and closure. Whitney previously served as the Director of Recruitment and Selection at the Chicago Public Schools Office of New Schools where she oversaw the recruitment and authorization of new charter and contract schools for the nation’s third largest school district. Whitney earned her A.B. in English from Princeton University.

Most Recent Posts

How to Communicate about School Closures

Few conversations in authorizing are harder than the ones about a school that is changing form or closing its doors. Whether you’re merging, consolidating, or closing a school, you know...

Montessori Applications Are Coming. Is Your Authorizer Office Ready?

Does your charter authorizing team know what a strong Montessori school application looks like? Charter schools were created to try new ways of meeting students’ learning needs. But the more...

NACSA statement on recent decision in Oklahoma about religious charter schools

NACSA is disappointed in the recent decision by a federal judge in Oklahoma, allowing The Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation to continue with plans to open a religious charter...