When working to ensure high-quality public education options on a national level, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools focuses on federal policies and appropriations . We work to ensure charter schools are protected and supported, and the voices of advocates are heard within the walls of Congress.
Expand Congressional & Administrative Support
Charter schools have enjoyed strong bipartisan support since the first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992. The National Alliance works to cultivate this support by educating Members of Congress, state legislators, and staffers in the U.S. Department of Education about the important role charter schools play in providing children access to a public school environment that meets their unique needs. The National Alliance also serves as a critical first point of contact for federal policymakers as they make decisions that affect charter schools around the nation.
The Charter Schools Program (CSP) is the only source of dedicated federal funding to support the opening of new charter schools and the replication and expansion of charter schools that are producing results. Parent surveys suggest there are as many as five million children who would attend a charter school if one were available. The National Alliance advocates for increased funding for the CSP. We also advocate for other sources of funding for charter schools such as the New Market Tax Credits which are integral for investments in charter school facilities.
Represent and Protect the Charter School Model
At its current funding level of $440 million for FY23, the Charter Schools Program amounts to less than 1% of federal spending on K-12 education, but is making a big difference for kids. Between school year 2006-07 and school year 2016-17, CSP funded nearly 45 percent of operational public charter schools that served 1.3 million students. For 25 years, the CSP has provided resources to help ensure that every child can access a high-quality education at a public school. It forms a backbone of both the public education system and the charter school movement to provide more equitable opportunities for all students. To learn more, see our Charter Schools Program overview or visit the U.S. Department of Education website .
An important part of representing the charter school movement is ensuring the voices of our parents, students, teachers and leaders are represented in the halls of Congress. The National Alliance creates opportunities for charter school advocates to visit Washington, D.C. and write or call their representatives.
Arguably, the biggest decisions on public education are made at the state and local levels. State charter school laws ultimately govern how charter schools are run, how much they can grow, and how much funding they receive. We work directly with our state and local partners to advocate for their schools and ensure charter schools have a policy and political landscape that helps students, educators, and families thrive.
Since 2005, our work in the states has increased the number of states with charter school laws from 39 to 46 (along with D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico) and improved charter school laws in over two dozen states from coast to coast. .
Each state must enact a law in order to enable charter schools to open. The National Alliance works to help get charter school laws passed. Our team also works to strengthen laws where needed and defend the charter school community from harmful laws that threaten funding, autonomy, and access to facilities or make it make it more difficult for charter schools to exist, grow, and serve students.
Our Charter School Model Law sets the gold standard for what it means to have a law that helps charter schools succeed and grow, such as providing charter schools with the freedom to innovate in exchange for accountability for results, ensuring charter school students receive equitable funding, and not capping the number of charter schools.
We work tirelessly to continue strengthening charter school laws in each state.
