The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is a non-profit trade association serving the charter school industry. NAPCS advocates for all charter schools including those that contract with

charter management organizations A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

and

education management organizations Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

. Their mission is to ensure all children have access to a high-quality public education regardless of their zip code.

History

The organization was founded in 2005 with the support of the Doris &

Donald Fisher Donald George Fisher (September 3, 1928 – September 27, 2009) was an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded The Gap Inc. clothing stores with his wife Doris F. Fisher. Early life and education Fisher was born i ...

Fund,

Walton Family Foundation The Walton family is an American family whose collective fortune derived from Walmart makes them the richest family in the United States of America. Overview The three most prominent living members (Jim, Rob, and Alice Walton) have consist ...

, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

Activities

NAPCS publishes an annual guide to state charter school laws, ''Measuring Up to the Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws''. NAPCS once published an annual report on the enrollment of charter schools, ''Estimated Charter Public School Enrollment''. However, they now have an interactive dashboard that can be found a
data.publiccharters.org
Critics describe the organization as cheerleading for charter schools, rather than drilling down to academic performance statistics.

United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on ...

Betsy DeVos Elisabeth Dee DeVos ( ; ' Prince; born January 8, 1958) is an American politician, philanthropist, and former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. DeVos is known for her support for ...

is a fan of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

References

{{Reflist Charter school organizations in the United States