The Safe School Six: Reopening Schools Safely

Preparing School Buildings for Reopening After COVID-19 In challenging times, please know that our team is here to help. We know you are adjusting to the repercussions of COVID-19 and ever-changing information. That’s why our team has created a checklist for preparing school buildings for reopening and is making it publicly available to all. If…

Why Charter Schools Responded Faster to COVID-19 Transition

Written by Don Cooper and Ember Reichgott Junge   Public education has been forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to rapidly transform. Simply put, formal rules and professional norms around teaching and learning no longer apply. How educators respond to this challenge impacts all of us. Public education is one of the few unifying institutions that…

Renaissance Public School Academy #schoolbrag

Renaissance Public School Academy is making strides to help kids learn how they learn best! We’ve absolutely fallen in love with the heart of this school! #schoolbrag

Will presidential candidates learn lessons from New Hampshire on public school choice?

Written by Ember Reichgott Junge   All eyes are on New Hampshire for the Democratic presidential race. As the candidates barnstorm the state, I wonder how they would answer this question: Would you agree with New Hampshire Democratic lawmakers who recently voted to reject $46 million in federal funding over five years to the New…

Light of the World Academy #schoolbrag

The students at Light of the World Academy are dreaming big and making a difference! The caring leadership and teaching team are helping kids discover their gifts, explore new ideas and experience the joy of learning! #schoolbrag

Now is the time to speak out about the myths of charter schools

Written by Ember Reichgott Junge   With critical issues like Iran and the U.S. presidential impeachment flooding the national headlines, it is easy to forget the key bread-and-butter, domestic issues important to most families. When was the last time you heard anything about K-12 education on the presidential campaign trail? Back in 1992 when Governor…

2019 Midwest Art Contest Winners

TOGETHER we can… “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller Alone we can only do so much. But together we can speak louder, run faster, plan bigger, and accomplish more than we ever thought possible. Together, with a team, we can accomplish anything! What is your dream? What would you want to see accomplished if you had a…

Chartering Matters…
Because Your Voice Matters!

See Your Gift Doubled on Giving Tuesday! Each state has its own unique story about how chartering came to be. Honor the founding pioneers who made chartering possible and blazed paths for others to follow. By supporting the National Charter Schools Founders Library, you can help us capture and celebrate the history of our movement and share…

Epicenter: Ending the Paper Chase

Epicenter is both a tool for Authorizers and schools–connecting the whole team and providing you with all the tools you need to get the job done! End the paper chase by increasing effectiveness & efficiency in scheduling, assigning, completing, and notifying. Have access to support & resources. Get organized. Know you’re protected with secure search…

Regulating Freedom: The Authorizers Paradox

Presented at NACSA 2019, Susie Miller Carello and Jim Goenner break down the responsibilities and challenges of the a charter schools authorizer.

Join the A-GAME

The National Charter School Institute and Momentum Strategy & Research have joined forces to create the “A-GAME”: Advancing Great Authorizing & Modeling Excellence to support charter school authorizers measure the quality and effectiveness of alternative education campuses. By sharing best-practices, research, outcome-based targets, and promoting out-side-the-box thinking, the A-GAME is changing the way charter school…

Personal Responsibility | TEDxBowlingGreen

Personal Responsibility | Ray O’Laughlin | TEDxBowlingGreen Do you prefer to manage yourself or do you like to be managed by others? Bring your “who” to your “what” and experience the fulfillment and peace you’ve been longing for. A journey that begins with the person in the mirror and will take you to places you…

Changing the Game: Education | TEDxBowlingGreen

Changing the Game: Education | Jim Goenner | TEDxBowlingGreen Charter school pioneer and Hall of Famer Dr. Jim Goenner challenges the strategies being used to transform education. Through his deeply personal story, he shares how he discovered what’s truly important, and why the path to excellence begins with the heart. A devoted husband and father…

Become a Public Charter School Board Member!

Each Michigan public charter school is governed by an independent team of local leaders who are appointed by the school’s authorizer. When you become a public charter school board member, you take a statewide Constitutional oath of office and become part of a local effort to make a lasting difference in the life of students….

2018 Midwest Art Contest Winners

“You’re my hero, because…” “A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.” – Hercules During this years art contest we’ve recieved over 1,000 pieces of artwork from K-5 charter schools students in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. We have been inspired by so many amazing…

Our Chartering Past Informs — And Shapes — Our Future

Written by Ember Reichgott Junge   When my charter school bill finally passed the Minnesota legislature in May 1991, I was devastated. The bill was so compromised I thought a charter school would never happen. The final bill didn’t create alternate sponsors—it required both the local school district and the state board of education to…

Howard Fuller Recites Frederick Douglass

Howard Fuller Recites Frederick Douglass after an “Advocates & Implementers” discussion, July 2019.

A Conversation with Ken Campbell and Deborah M. McGriff, Ph.D.

In a series called “Advocates & Implementers,” we join Ken Campbell and Deborah M. McGriff, Ph.D. as they discuss their experiences with the national charter schools movement. (July 2019)

Rethinking Regulation: Modeling Accountability (Jim Goenner – NAPCS 2019)

Jim Goenner talks about “Rethinking Regulation: Modeling Accountability” at the 2019 National Charter Schools Conference

Rethinking Regulation, Modeling Accountability

July 1, 2019 | National Charter Schools Conference | James N. Goenner, Ph.D. Promising freedom from stifling bureaucracy and regulation, chartering attracted people eager to blaze trails and challenge the status quo. Now boards and school leaders are becoming frustrated with a multi-layered regulatory system that never seems to be satisfied. Authorizers are being pressured…