Resources

Across the country, more than 900 charter school authorizers are responsible for ensuring that schools operating within their portfolios are meeting the needs of the students and families in their communities. Yet there is debate about the authorizer’s role in assessing community assets and needs and incorporating findings into subsequent authorizing work.

Several approaches to the work of community-based authorizing are emerging, as this is a new field within the charter sector. This brief examines those strategies and suggests ways to use these data to inform authorizing practices and decisions. The brief also details some of the main barriers to community-based authorizing and discusses a few related solutions.

Download the brief to learn about a range of strategies that authorizers are using to engage in community-based authorizing.