Author : National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (16 download)
Book Synopsis The State of Charter School Authorizing 2013 by : National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Download or read book The State of Charter School Authorizing 2013 written by National Association of Charter School Authorizers and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report summarizes findings of a comprehensive national survey that covers authorizer adoption of Essential Practices, as well as important context about the evolution of the authorizing profession itself. There are some gratifying results, with near-unanimous adoption of such key practices as requiring financial audits of schools and performance contracts between authorizers and schools. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) extensive evaluation work discloses, for example, that there can be wide variation in the quality of contracts executed by one authorizer versus another. It's clear, though, that this report presents a strong argument for capacity and scale: NACSA's survey sample includes nearly all large authorizers active during the 2012-2013 school year. Large authorizers, who oversee approximately 66% of the charter school student population, have increasingly implemented more of NACSA's Essential Practices, whether considered cross-sectionally for each year or longitudinally for authorizers that responded both years. Conversely, the 2013 results indicate that it is more difficult for small authorizers to establish a full range of professional practices. Authorizers located within traditional education systems (local and state education agencies) seem to have a harder time adopting strong authorizer practices than those located in other types of organizations. Independent chartering boards, the statewide agencies created solely to approve and oversee charter schools, score highest among all types of authorizers across a number of categories, suggesting that their tight focus on charter school quality provides a strong incentive for honing their own skills. That is one reason NACSA has fought to establish such agencies and has helped defend them when threatened by legal and political attacks.