Many in Michigan’s charter school community are crying foul over a recent report that criticizes the state’s charter school authorizers. Authorizers of charter schools are educational institutions, often colleges, whose responsibility is to ensure oversight, accountability and adequate performance.Last week, a study from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, NACSA, rated Michigan among the worst in the country regarding policies that hold authorizers accountable for academic performance. Of a possible 27 points, the state earned just three.
Current State talks with Jared Burkhart, executive director of the Michigan Coalition of Charter School Authorizers. Those authorizers oversee operations at about 90-percent of Michigan’s charter schools. He takes issue with the report.