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Model Legislation
And a Nominee for Opportunity!

 

The second in our 12-ish days of Christmas series, intended to bring gifts to education reformers everywhere!

 

by Ted Rebarber*

Charter schools have become the single most effective public school reform to date. They provide opportunities to families and the freedom for schools to innovate, improve and address pressing needs without delays from bureaucracy or political pressure.

But laws make all the difference in the degree of opportunities afforded to families and freedom afforded to schools.

Of the 13 strongest charter laws, 12 were passed between 1991 and 1999, and it is these 12 states alone that account for over 56 percent of existing charter schools.  Only nine states passed a charter law between 2000 and 2015 and they opened a combined total of 233 schools, serving so few students that their impact on a national scale is almost negligible.

Strong laws provide for:

• operational autonomy for charters, allowing a wide range of providers to innovate and meet the needs of their particular students;
• multiple charter authorizers in order to guard against regulatory creep, including at least one independent entity focused on authorizing charters;
• a high or no cap on schools and few obstacles to growth, allowing charters to scale up and offer parents multiple options in convenient locations;
• accountability to parents through choice, while authorizers maintain public trust by eliminating fraudulent or obviously incompetent operators;
• equitable funding for students and families in charter schools, including capital (facility) funds as well as operational funds.

We know from 23 years of research and practice that strong laws result in strong schools. That’s why we’re relentless in our pursuit for strong charter school laws that allow charter schools the freedom and flexibility. We hope 2017 brings the gift of stronger laws across the states. CER’s 17th annual Charter School Laws Ranking & Scorecard, to be released soon, will be your definitive guide to whether your law stacks up to the best policies and practices.

*Ted Rebarber is the founder of Washington, DC’s highly rated charter school law, CEO & founder of AccountabilityWorks, and CER’s resident research associate.