Impact of ESSA Provisions on Authorizing

Resource Selection
11 Oct, 2018

Charter schools face high-stakes accountability. When charter schools fail to perform as expected, including as measured on state tests, authorizers are often expected to close them. While the details of charter school oversight are shaped by each state’s charter school policy, federal law influences how states test children and evaluate all public schools, including charter schools. Most charter school authorizers place considerable weight on data drawn from their state accountability system when evaluating charter schools. This means that federal policy influences state accountability systems for all public schools, which then affect charter school accountability. This paper from the National Charter School Resource Center explores the possible impact of new federal and state policies on the charter school sector.