Dear Authorizers, On April 30, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond—a case that challenges how courts have interpreted the constitutional boundaries of public education in recent decades. At the center is St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, approved by the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board. […]
News Blog
In the Media
The Future of Charter Schools: St. Isidore v. Oklahoma and Religious Education Funding This case has been widely covered in the media because of the implications that it could have not only for charter schools, but for how the First Amendment applies today. Below is a selection of news reports, analyses, and opinion pieces—both for […]
1991: Enacting the Nation’s First Charter Schools Law
The Minnesota Foundation’s fourteenth annual Itasca Seminar brought together tinkers, doers, and policymakers to explore how to improve public education. Among this October 1988 event’s national speakers were Al Shanker and New York’s Sy Fliegel, the architect of East Harlem’s choice-based innovations. More local attendees included the Citizens League’s Ted Kolderie and the vice chair […]
Supreme Court, Charters, and Oklahoma
What’s Happening & Why It Matters Dear Colleagues: If you’re on this site, you’re among the many of us interested in charter schools both as a policy matter and as a dynamic way to provide high-quality public educational options to children, families, and communities. One policy matter that has captured the attention of the nation’s […]
Rewriting the Rules: Founder’s Library Commemorates Life and Legacy of Linda Brown
December 4, 2024, Mount Pleasant, MI – The National Charter Schools Founders Library, a digital collection created to preserve chartering’s history and inspire future leaders, today unveiled a new collection of videos and other artifacts recording and honoring the life and legacy of Linda Brown. A 2008 inductee in the National Charter Schools Hall […]
Honoring Governor George Pataki and 25 Years of New York Charter Schools
A Letter from Ember Reichgott Junge | May 2024 Along with former Michigan Governor, John Engler, Institute Board Chair, Jim Barrett, and Don Cooper, it was an honor to represent the National Charter Schools Institute and Founders Library at an event honoring former Governor George Pataki and 25 Years of New York Charter Schools! […]
Significant State Level Success and Lessons from Minnesota’s Gene Piccolo
Written by Joe Nathan | Published by CharterFolk Good day, CharterFolk. Today we are delighted to share a Contributor Column from Joe Nathan, Founder and Co-Director of the Center for School Change. I provide below a picture and a bio for Joe that is customized to the purpose of today’s column. Eugene Piccolo (Center) with former Democratic State […]
Why We Tell Our Founders’ Stories…
Founders Library proud to partner with The 74 This month the National Charter Schools Founders Library is excited to highlight charter school leader/founder stories and share a free online copy of Richard Whitmire’s The Founders: Inside the Revolution to Invent and Reinvent America’s Best Charter Schools. Written more than seven years ago, this book grew from […]
The 74 Million: National Charter Schools Founders Library Preserves the Past, Shapes the Future
Junge: Archive’s oral histories from charter pioneers are keeping the idea behind these innovative schools from being twisted for political aims.
The Founders Library Speaks for Charters
“Charter schools were created to provide public school choice with independence outside the traditional district structure, but were always public schools protected by the U.S. Constitution.”– Ember Reichgott-Junge! @CharterLibraryvia @AP https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-charter-school-skirts-071a6bff9a62a0e3f233cd9bcf29d24f The Founders Library played an impactful role in speaking out for the constitutional rights of charter schools in a Supreme Court ruling June 27th, 2023. The […]
