Laws Really Do Matter to Ensure Student Success
CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
October 1, 2014
Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform, issued the following statement on the release of “Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis” from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) today:
“We applaud NAPCS for their continued leadership and stewardship in advancing the most promising public school reform of all time – charter schools. The critical ingredient for charters to thrive is a strong law, which fosters their success.
“In this report, NAPCS has gone from ranking highly states with poor charter environments, such as Maine, to evaluating all aspects of laws – including practice – and in so doing met our own standards, in part, by recognizing the District of Columbia as a robust charter sector.
“Since 1996, the Center has studied and evaluated charter school laws based on their construction and implementation, and whether or not they yield the intended result of the charter school policy, which is to ensure the creation of excellent and numerous learning opportunities for children.
“These annual charter law rankings have been borne out not only in theory but in practice. Strong charter laws feature independent, multiple authorizers, few limits on expansion, equitable funding, and high levels of school autonomy.
“By examining state charter sectors beyond the letter of the law, the National Alliance report places more value on whether families are actually accessing educational choices. This is the fundamental basis for the Parent Power Index (PPI), on which D.C. ranks fourth.
“While there are still significant differences between CER and NAPCS rankings, we welcome the increased scrutiny the National Alliance is giving to laws in practice and the increased debate and activity they have created surrounding charter schools.”