Board Governance

As the school’s governing body, the board of trustees is legally responsible for the academic, financial, and operational quality of the charter school. Given the centrality of autonomy to charter schools, the board is integral to the proper oversight of schools. The National Charter School Resource Center leverages the existing body of knowledge to offer best practices and tools to enable charter schools to establish and maintain an effective board.

Featured Board Governance Resources

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A Synthesis of Research on Charter School Facilities
“A Synthesis of Research on Charter School Facilities” examines the…
Reports | 06 Oct, 2020
Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools
Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools Part 1: The Role and Perspective of Charter School Authorizers
"Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools" labels and categorizes the indicators of…
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Indicators of Distress and What They Mean in the Charter Sector: A Webinar for Charter Sector Stakeholders Introducing…
Charter school stakeholders from across the country joined together to explore findings from NCSRC’…
Webinar: Recruitment for Governing Boards
This webinar, Recruitment for Governing Boards, is presented by the Colorado League of Charter…
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The Death Spiral: Identifying Early Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools (A Conversation with Authorizers)
Charter school authorizers from across the country joined together to explore the findings of NCSRC…

All Board Governance Resources

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A Synthesis of Research on Charter School Facilities Reports06 Oct, 2020 “A Synthesis of Research on Charter School Facilities” examines the current state of charter school access to facilities, including facility acquisition and ownership, and facility funding… Read more
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State Education Agency, Charter School Management Organizations, Charter School Family and Community, Policy Maker, Opening and Expanding, Policy, Board Governance, Operations and Compliance, Facilities, Funding
A stack of books with the publication title: Charter School Governance, the Essential Guide
Introducing Charter School Governance: The Essential Guide ToolkitsBLUUM01 Oct, 2020 BLUUM has created a series of informative videos that provide a high-level overview of the responsibilities, opportunities and obligations of public charter school board members. Real-life… Read more
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Finance and Fundraising, Starting a Charter School, Board Recruitment, Charter School Management Organizations, Board Fundamentals, Board Effectiveness, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Charter School Family and Community, Opening and Expanding, Board Governance
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Indicators of Distress and What They Mean in the Charter Sector: A Webinar for Charter Sector Stakeholders Introducing New Research Related to the Early Indicators of Distress Webinar30 Sep, 2020 to 30 Sep, 2020 Charter school stakeholders from across the country joined together to explore findings from NCSRC’s new report, Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools Part 1: The Role and… Read more
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Indiana Charter Schools, State Education Agency, Tennessee Charter Schools, Charter School Management Organizations, Educators, Charter School Family and Community, Policy Maker, Policy, Board Governance, Increasing Achievement, Operations and Compliance, Leadership
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Indicators of Distress (And What They Mean in the Charter Sector) Event30 Sep, 2020 Indicators of Distress (And What They Mean in the Charter Sector) Wednesday, September 30, 2020 2:00-3:00 PM EDT (11:00 AM-12:00 PM PDT) Register To Attend The National Charter School… Read more
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State Education Agency, Charter School Management Organizations, Educators, Charter School Family and Community, Policy Maker, Policy, Board Governance, Increasing Achievement, Operations and Compliance, Leadership
Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools
Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools Part 1: The Role and Perspective of Charter School Authorizers Reports21 Sep, 2020 "Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools" labels and categorizes the indicators of distress that authorizers encounter as a school’s quality begins to decline. This report can… Read more
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State Education Agency, Charter School Management Organizations, Educators, Charter School Family and Community, Policy Maker, Policy, Board Governance, Increasing Achievement, Operations and Compliance, Leadership
title slide of presentation
The Death Spiral: Identifying Early Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools (A Conversation with Authorizers) Webinar09 Sep, 2020 to 09 Sep, 2020 Charter school authorizers from across the country joined together to explore the findings of NCSRC’s Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools report. They heard from their… Read more
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Delaware Charter Schools, Indiana Charter Schools, State Education Agency, Tennessee Charter Schools, Policy Maker, Policy, Board Governance, Increasing Achievement, Operations and Compliance, Leadership
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The State of the Charter Sector: What You Need to Know About the Charter Sector Today ReportsBellwether Education Partners22 Jan, 2019 Bellwether Education Partners (Bellwether) summarizes policies and trends and the current status of charter schools in the United States in this January 2019 presentation. The data in the… Read more
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State Education Agency, Charter School Management Organizations, Educators, Charter School Family and Community, Policy Maker, Discipline, Opening and Expanding, Policy, Board Governance, Increasing Achievement, Operations and Compliance, Special Education, English Learners, Leadership, Facilities, Funding
Charter School Governing Board Primer: School Leadership ToolkitsThe National Charter School Resource Center17 Sep, 2018 Every child deserves to attend an excellent school. Public charter schools are governed by independent boards, and great charter schools need great boards. Serving on a charter school board… Read more
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Charter School Management Organizations, Board Governance
Charter School Governing Board Recruitment Tools ToolkitsThe National Charter School Resource Center17 Sep, 2018 To recruit strategically, boards must know the qualities and skills that already exist around the table and what they are seeking. This tool provides assessments and sample board matrices… Read more
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Board Recruitment, Charter School Management Organizations, Board Governance
Charter School Governing Board Composition: A Toolkit for Board Members ToolkitsThe National Charter School Resource Center12 Jun, 2018 Every child deserves to attend an excellent school. Public charter schools are governed by independent boards, and great charter schools need great boards. Serving on a charter school board… Read more
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Board Recruitment, Charter School Management Organizations, Board Fundamentals, Board Effectiveness, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Board Governance

Featured Publications

A Synthesis of Research on Charter School Facilities
Reports | 06 Oct, 2020
Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools Part 1: The Role and Perspective of Charter School Authorizers
Reports | 21 Sep, 2020
Critical Questions and Steps for Leaders to Reduce or End School-Based Policing
Toolkits | 12 Jun, 2020
Charting the Course to Equity: K-12 Leaders of Color and Student Success
Reports | 01 Nov, 2019
Policy Framework for High-Quality Charter Authorizing Practices
Toolkits | 06 Jul, 2020

Featured Events

International School Choice and Reform Conference
Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 15 Jan, 2021 to 18 Jan, 2021
January 15-18, 2021 Ft. Lauderdale, Floridahttp://iscrweb.org/  
2020 ASU+GSV Summit Virtual
San Diego, CA | 29 Sep, 2020 to 07 Oct, 2020
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 + Oct. 7-8, 2020 Virtual (San Diego, California)https://www.asugsvsummit.com 
2020 NACSA Virtual Leadership Conference
https://nacsacon.com/ | 12 Oct, 2020 to 30 Oct, 2020
October 12-30, 2020 Virtual Eventhttps://nacsacon.com/
Aurora Institute Symposium 2020 - TBD
| 26 Oct, 2020 to 28 Oct, 2020
October 26-28, 2020 Virtual https://www.inacol.org/symposium/
Indicators of Distress (And What They Mean in the Charter Sector)
Webinar | 30 Sep, 2020
Indicators of Distress (And What They Mean in the Charter Sector) Wednesday, September 30, 2020 2:00-3:00 PM EDT (11:00…

Featured News

Fiscal Year 2020 Grants to Charter School Developers for the Opening of New Charter Schools and for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (CFDA number 84.282B/E)
News | 20 May, 2020
U.S. Department of Education's Coronavirus Response
News | 12 Mar, 2020
Notice Inviting Applications: Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program--Grants to State Entities (SE Grants) (CFDA number 84.282A)
News | 27 Jan, 2020
New ED Initiative Related to Charter Schools in Opportunity Zones
News | 10 Oct, 2019
Foundation Directs Funding Toward Special Education Charter Schools
News | 13 Sep, 2018

U.S. Department of Education

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