What do high-performing authorizers do to achieve stellar student and public interest outcomes?
Many factors contribute to the success of public charter schools with strong academic performance. One significantly under-explored area is the role of the authorizer. This multi-year project creates an evidence base that describes the practices of quality authorizing that may be linked to outstanding performance. Participants and researchers collaboratively investigated the perspectives and practices of high-performing authorizers, compared with a matched sample of similarly situated authorizers. This began to create an empirical body of knowledge on what authorizers do to facilitate outstanding charter schools.
Authorizer Practices: What’s Working and What’s Not, 2017
This report provides a thematic qualitative analysis of 50 authorizer evaluations NACSA has completed since 2009. It identifies common strengths and weaknesses and provides empirically-based and detailed findings on specific practices authorizers are using across the country.
Authorizers, NACSA, and other entities can use these findings to design better technical assistance, professional development, tools, templates, and other approaches that ultimately lead to a stronger sector of charter schools.
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Leadership, Commitment, Judgment: Elements of Successful Charter School Authorizing, 2018
Great authorizers—those with strong portfolios of charter schools—are moving the needle for their communities. But what exactly do these authorizers do differently to achieve stellar outcomes? NACSA set out to answer this question three years ago. This first-of-its-kind research is an important step toward developing a more evidence-informed connection between practices and outcomes.