NACSA | Policy Resources
Policy Initiatives
NACSA seeks to foster high-quality authorizing environments that result in a greater number of charter schools that meet and exceed state standards.
High-quality authorizing includes the day-to-day practices of authorizers, each authorizing agency's leadership and vision, strength of the state's charter law, and the presence of charter school support organizations. NACSA believes that high-quality authorizing leads to high-quality charter schools at scale.
NACSA outlines key elements of high-quality day-to-day practices in Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing. We explore specific elements in detail in our Issue Briefs. Our state charter law policy recommendations are outlined in our Policy Guide series.
NACSA's policy initiatives include:
Principles and Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing
The Principles and Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing are universally recognized as the professional practices for authorizers. Principles and Standards gives specific guidance on five elements of professional authorizing: Agency Capacity, Application Evaluation, Performance Contracting, Monitoring and Oversight, and Renewal Decisions.
Policy Guides
NACSA's Policy Guides address the eight critical elements of the charter school authorizing life cycle. Each guide dives in depth into the statutory and regulatory necessities for authorizing that will result in a high-quality public charter school sector. These guides are designed specifically for state education policy makers and advocates.
Congressional Testimony
NACSA works with Congress and the Administration to advance charter school quality and quantity under federal laws, such as the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
NACSA is assertively bi-partisan in its work. There is strong support for the charter school concept across much of the political spectrum, especially when it is implemented with quality authorization.
