An annual analysis of charter school laws ranks Washington’s at the top
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) today announced the release of its annual rankings of state charter school laws across the country, listing Washington’s new law that was passed by voters in November 2012 as the nation’s third strongest. NAPCS’ ranking found that many states took significant steps to strengthen their state laws in 2012. The report, and the NAPCS model charter school law it is based upon, is designed to support the creation of high-quality public charter schools, particularly for those students most in need of better public school options.
“This has been a historic year for public charter school policy across the country, as voters in two states, Washington and Georgia, passed public charter school initiatives,” said Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
The rankings include 43 states and the District of Columbia. Just eight states are without a charter school laws: Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia.
Now in its fourth year, Measuring Up to the Model: A Ranking of State Public Charter School Laws ranks each of the country’s 43 state charter school laws. Each state receives a score on its law’s strength based on the 20 essential components from the NAPCS model law, which include measuring quality and accountability, equitable access to funding and facilities and limited caps on charter school growth.