Charter schools closed due to low ratings

One in five charter schools in the U.S. should be shut down due to poor performance, according to National Charter School Authorizers.

NACSA represents entities that oversee charter schools and announced Nov. 28 its “One Million Lives” campaign, an initiative designed to ensure the worst charter schools are shut down.

The campaign’s creation was inspired by a NACSA survey that showed, despite a recent jump in closures, there are still too many charter schools operating with poor performance.

“In some places, accountability unfortunately has been part of the charter model in name only,” NACSA President and CEO Greg Richmond said. “If charters are going to succeed in helping improve public education, accountability must go from being rhetoric to reality.”

NACSA’s analysis suggests 900 to 1,300 charter schools are performing in the lowest 15 percent of all schools in their states.

According to the 2012 A-F accountability report published by the Indiana Department of Education, 23 of the 64 charter schools evaluated this year received an “F,” the state’s lowest rating.

Although five schools have been refused charter renewal since 2003, according to the Department of Education, it’s not clear what will be done about the schools currently under-performing.

The Indiana Charter School Board, a component of the Department of Education, is Indiana’s charter school authorizer and charged with holding them accountable.

According to the board’s website, whether or not a charter school is meeting the standards is determined by ICSB.

The board visits schools before, during and after the duration of their charters and chooses to renew them accordingly.

Nothing on the website indicates a school can be shut down mid-term, and the board representative could not be reached for comment.

A goal of “One Million Lives” is to ensure states’ authorizers not only close poorly performing charter schools but immediately replace them with better ones, according to a press release.

By Gage Bentley