June 4, 2009

Stanford, CA - CREDO at Stanford University in partnership with the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the Colorado League of Charter Schools announces the release of A Framework for Operational Quality: A Report from the National Consensus Panel on Charter School Operational Quality.

The framework calls on public charter schools to maintain high standards for financial performance and sustainability, parent and community involvement, and governing board stewardship. Designed as a guide, the report is geared for charter school leaders, authorizers and support organizations as they establish and grow operational and governance practices of high-quality public charter schools. The framework recommends that leaders adopt a specific series of essential indicators, measures, metrics and targets for their operations. The report also serves to advise authorizers, philanthropists and lenders in monitoring the operational practices of high-quality public charter schools.

"Recent reports indicate that two-thirds of mid-term charter revocations have happened for reasons other than academic performance,” said Margaret Raymond, Director of the Center for Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University. “This may be because financial and organizational failures are often evident before academic shortcomings, but it confirms that sound operations must be in place to ensure charter school success. The framework provides all different constituencies within the movement a common basis from which to examine the performance of charters in these important areas.” Without a sound infrastructure in place, education will fail.

This framework builds on the previously published Framework on Academic Quality which made four recommendations for establishing a strong academic foundation.

The project’s National Consensus Panel is composed of more than two dozen education reform professionals and foundation executives playing leading roles in the charter school movement nationally. A Framework for Operational Quality is the second publication in a series of initiatives of the three-year Building Charter School Quality project funded by the U.S. Department of Education.