The charter school sector in Colorado has effective charter authorizing practices, a policy environment supportive of charter school growth, and good state, technical and data support, according to a report released by a coalition of charter school organizations.
But Colorado also needs to have more transparency in reviewing and making decisions about charter applications, a clearer process for renewal or nonrenewal of charters, and a more comprehensive way to monitor and collect charter school data, the report says.
The Building Charter School Quality coalition aims, with the report, to show how one state has made progress in improving academic and operational quality with the intention of guiding other states to take similar steps.
The report was released Jan. 31 as the culmination of a $3 million, four-year effort underwritten by the U.S. Department of Education to establish academic and operational frameworks for charter schools. The coalition released academic quality standards in June 2008 and operational quality standards in May 2009.
