This NACSA publication, consisting of brief statements from four charter school experts on the balance between accountability and overregulation, contains helpful advice for organizations embarking on stormy seas of charter sponsorship. First, NACSA president Greg Richmond offers four helpful guidelines, which, by his own admission, may sometimes conflict. (E.g. “Monitor only those activities that a charter school is legally required to perform” and “Protect the public’s interest.”)
But that’s precisely the point: guidelines are general principles that have to be thought through on a case-by-case basis by each authorizer. Jim Griffin of the Colorado League of Charter Schools explains the importance of commitment: an authorizer must constantly keep its goals in mind, and those goals must be reflected in the very structure of the authorizing organization.
Joe Nathan of the Hubert Humphrey Institute emphasizes three aspects of the chartering process: clarity, quality, and flexibility. And Jo Baker of the D.C. Public Charter School Board explores the specific criteria–including a school’s adherence to its, fiscal viability, and adequate student progress–by which the DCPCSB oversees its schools. Overall, it’s a quick read, and for those interested in charter school authorizing, worthwhile.
View the PDF here