Independent authorizer article in Focal Point magazine

Written by Veronica Aguilar, soon to be a senior at
Noble's Pritzker College Prep

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

These are momentous words spoken by philosopher Lao Tzu. A recent article was written in Focal Point magazine, a Chicago international Charter School publication, titled “A Fresh Perspective: Why Illinois needs an independent charter school authorizer.” Written by Marvin Smith, Policy Manager here at INCS, this article successfully illustrates the significant need for an independent charter school authorizer in Illinois. Establishing an independent authorizer in Illinois will be that single step towards a journey of prosperous charters.

Charter schools are enabling Illinois scholars' to achieve academically. This article illustrates how having an independent authorizer would allow for the expansion of more schools to serve more students who need them.

Here's what an independent authorizer would do:

1. Suppoert current, active and effective authorizers
2. Assist communities with school districts working to improve local authorizing activity
3. Lead the authorizing effort in inactive communities

To further the success of high-quality charter schools in Illinois, INCS' proposes that Illinois' independent authorizer be composed of a board of appointed members: “education experts with responsibility for approving charters, overseeing school performance, and renewing charters.” The journey of a thousand miles can only get easier with a step in the right direction: a statewide independent authorizer in Illinois.

To learn more about this, as well as a background on authorizing and potential Illinois roadblocks, check out the full article here.