The Charter Idea

Charter schools began with the compelling purpose of transforming public education. A firm belief that withdrawing the exclusive franchise of school districts and establishing independent schools of choice would lead to results for kids.

Minnesota passed the first public school choice chartering law in 1991, effectively creating a new sector in public education. This landmark legislation blazed a trail for others to follow including 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.

While chartering celebrates nearly 30 years of impact on our nation, the idea that excellence knows no boundaries often is one that must be defended. Reporters, policymakers, and researchers continue to define the charter sector through ideology and misconceptions rather than through history and fact.

Those who stand in support of chartering must absorb the past as we propel toward the future. We must honor those pioneers who bravely took those first steps while preserving their hard-won lessons. We must continue to record our vibrant history as the evolving mission of inspiring excellence in education continues.

Why a National Founders Library?

In its earliest form, a library served as an archive of information for the public good, for those who perhaps could not collect or afford to maintain such a volume of work. A National Founders Library will serve this foundational purpose while also providing the collective narratives of change driven across our educational landscape.

The preservation of this history will:

• Assist policymakers, researchers and journalists in revisiting the original purposes and rationale of the charter law.
• Empower educators, educator candidates, families and communities to try new ways of teaching and learning.
• Propel innovation and opportunity in both the charter and district sectors.
• Reward results and encourage school leaders to be more responsive and adaptive.
• Restore and elevate substantive discussions and public civility around an issue that is still not well understood by the general public today.
• Inspire future leaders to overcome barriers and create new possibilities in K-12 education policy and practice.

The Goal

Each state has its own unique story around the inception of chartering. The goal of the National Charter Schools Founders Library is to capture these stories and make them digitally available to those interested in learning about the movement’s important history.

The Library will become the digital and permanent home for primary sources from around the country documenting the origins and growth of chartering. It will be a central repository for important primary materials, including but not limited to: speeches, white papers, historic legislation, personal papers of chartering pioneers and leaders, and key media documentation. Oral histories and stories from key pioneers will be available by video links and transcribed texts.

Now is the Time

Almost 30 years into the charter schools movement, many of the founders and key players have moved on in their careers or retired. That’s why we believe it is imperative that the historical records and primary source materials of these pioneers are identified and preserved lest they get discarded and forever lost.

Would you like to record the chartering oral history in your state? We invite chartering pioneers and state chartering leaders to find out how to record your state’s history! Contact Ember Reichgott Junge at ember.reichgott@gmail.com for more information.