Twenty-eight charter school authorizers now meet the nationally recognized rigorous state law that brings increased oversight to charter schools
Twenty-eight charter school authorizers have now been approved by the Minnesota Department of Education, including two new authorizers approved by Commissioner Brenda Cassellius on January 19, 2012.
The newest approved charter schools authorizers are:
Germanic-American Institute
St. Catherine University
“Minnesota’s charter school law is a national model for excellence, with the goal of ensuring a high-quality education for every student enrolled in one of the state’s public charter schools,” said Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. “All of our authorizers - including our two newest - must meet nationally recognized standards of quality and accountability, and agree to hold the charter schools they authorize accountable to the high-quality expectations they specify in their charter contracts.”
Minnesota’s improved charter law is designed to increase charter school quality, performance and accountability by shifting MDE’s focus from approving individual charter schools to approving charter school authorizers. Those changes put in place more robust oversight responsibilities for authorizers, requiring them to take on a greater oversight role for the charter schools they authorize. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools continues to count Minnesota as a leader regarding charter school laws, recently ranking the state as having the second best charter school law in the nation to support the growth of high-quality charter schools.
Previously approved authorizers are:
Anoka Technical College
Audubon Center of the North Woods
Augsburg College
Bethel University
Chisago Lakes Public Schools
Concordia University of St. Paul
Fraser
Friends of Education
Innovative Quality Schools
Intermediate School District 917
Minneapolis Public Schools
Minnesota Guild of Public Charter Schools
Northfield Public Schools
Novation Education Opportunities
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Pillsbury United Communities
Project for Pride in Living
Rochester Community and Technical College
Rushford-Peterson Independent School District
Student Achievement Minnesota
University of Minnesota – Duluth
University of St. Thomas
Volunteers of America – Minnesota
Winona Area Public Schools
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center
YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis
For more information on charter schools or the Minnesota Department of Education, visit http://education.state.mn.us.
