Authorizers play a critical role in the charter school ecosystem. They are responsible for approving new charter schools, monitoring their ongoing performance, enforcing compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and making informed renewal decisions. Given the significant impact authorizers have on educational quality and equity, state education agencies rely on reliable, objective assessments of authorizer performance to maintain public trust and promote continuous improvement. These evaluations also provide a valuable foundation for independent authorizing offices to establish targeted improvement goals and guide strategic planning efforts.
State agencies maintain the quality and integrity of the charter school sector by assessing the performance and accountability of charter school authorizers. These evaluations help safeguard student outcomes and maintain public trust by confirming that authorizers are making informed, transparent, and equitable decisions. Agencies typically assess the performance of charter school authorizers against state laws, state-specific standards, and nationally recognized best practices. SchoolWorks supports these oversight processes in a variety of ways: by developing evaluation frameworks and rubrics tailored to state laws and local context; by designing clear, consistent evaluation processes and protocols; by providing expert team members to supplement state review teams; or by managing a fully outsourced, independent evaluation process from start to finish.
For independent authorizing offices, a third-party needs assessment can provide critical, objective feedback to inform improvement efforts or long-term strategic planning. In these cases, SchoolWorks conducts authorizer reviews using a protocol aligned with nationally recognized standards for effective charter school authorizing. The process includes a thorough examination of existing policies and frameworks, as well as stakeholder engagement through interviews and surveys with authorizer staff, charter school leaders, and community members. The result is a comprehensive report that highlights strengths, pinpoints opportunities for growth, and delivers actionable, customized recommendations to help authorizers enhance their effectiveness and impact.
Explore how authorizer evaluations can drive accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across the charter school sector. Our case studies illustrate how both state agencies and independent authorizers have partnered with SchoolWorks to conduct meaningful, standards-based assessments that inform strategic planning and policy development. For teams looking to build internal capacity, our online professional development course offers in-depth training on the core functions of effective charter school authorizing.
SchoolWorks® has supported charter school authorizers since 1998. We currently partner with authorizers in over half of the states that have enacted charter school laws.
Our team members have extensive professional experience in the charter school sector – serving as authorizers, leading charter school associations, managing charter school incubators, and more.
Leveraging our extensive experience and utilizing both state charter school laws and national standards as frameworks, our experts deliver outcome-focused support.
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Contact us today to learn more about how SchoolWorks® can help you achieve your goals and fulfill your mission with confidence.
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