WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) today released a blueprint to help state policymakers accelerate the development of high-quality charter schools.

Citing specific state examples, the Issue Brief, Achieving Excellence at Scale: State Support for High-Performing Charter School Expansion compares characteristics high-quality charter schools have in common and offers steps state policymakers can take to foster an environment ripe for high-quality charter school expansion, including:

• Define charter school quality to guide expansion;
• Streamline reporting, renewal and governance requirements;
• Create a statewide authorizing body to facilitate outstanding charter school expansion;
• Ensure greater parity of funding between charter schools and district public schools; and
• Support charter schools’ access to adequate facilities.

"Our research shows that high-quality charter schools consistently demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and college and career success for their students, regardless of race or family income," said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. "Unfortunately, charter school expansion can face many hurdles. To increase student access to such schools, there are a number of steps states can take to increase the introduction of and expansion of high performing charter schools."

More than 1.2 million students currently attend the more than 4,300 public charter schools. In 2007, more than 350,000 students were on waiting lists to enroll in public charter schools. Significantly, charter schools serve a comparatively high percentage of low-income students (approximately 50 percent) and students of color (more than 60 percent) nationwide.

This Issue Brief was written in partnership with the Center for School Change at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and made possible with the support of the U.S. Department of Education.

To learn more about state efforts to improve public education, please visit www.nga.org/center/edu.

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Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org.