Choice. Innovation. Impact.
While charter schools are doing well nationally, Michigan charter schools are leading the way. As authorizers, we are proud to say that Michigan is one of ten states nationally showing the best performance among charter schools.
In 2022-23, and with the Council’s expertise and leadership, Michigan authorizers opened new schools and found fresh ways to improve student outcomes, even in the face of lingering pandemic effects. In this report, we capture the numbers, stories, and images of this challenging and rewarding work we do in fulfilling our mission to advance public education. I hope you will read it carefully and then join us in finding ways to reach even higher and do even more.
Purpose. Opportunity. Excellence.
In 2021-22, and with the Council’s expertise and leadership, Michigan authorizers found fresh ways to view education and improve student outcomes. By rethinking old practices, leveling playing fields, discovering new methods, and challenging the status quo, authorizers effectively helped the schools they partner with emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.
Because of this work, parents chose to entrust their children’s learning to public charter more than ever before. A study by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools found Michigan public charter school enrollment rose by more than 3,000 students over the last two years – a 2.14% increase from 2019-20 to 2021-22, and more than double the growth of previous years.
Innovation. Purpose. Success.
For students and parents, education in a pandemic remained a significant challenge throughout the 2020-21 school year. And yet, in the face of adversity, Michigan’s public charter schools persevered and continued delivering the quality educational results students need.
With the Council’s expertise and leadership, authorizers helped their schools navigate another unprecedented year and provide learning opportunities to thousands of children across Michigan.
Choice. Progress. Achievement.
The 2019-2020 school year was a year like no other. And yet, during these unprecedented and tumultuous times, Michigan’s public charter schools overcame adversity and continued delivering the quality educational results students need.
Learn more about the work being done to support children statewide in this year’s annual report.
Vision. Creativity. Excellence.
In its 2018–19 annual report, the Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers shares its activities, leadership and results.
This important resource provides meaningful data and profiles related to the work of Michigan’s public charter school sector.
Know the Law
There are quite literally hundreds of Michigan state laws that apply to public charter schools. It’s important to know what they are and what they do.
“Know the Law” is a clickable resource for charter school leaders with links to all state laws that apply to charter schools.
Advancing Excellence: Michigan’s Model for Authorizer Accountability
MCCSA has continued to lead the nation by fostering an authorizer accountability system that not only includes the MCCSA standards, but also includes the first authorizer accreditation system as well as the Michigan Department of Education Assurance and Verification Visits.
“Advancing Excellence: Michigan’s Model for Authorizer Accountability” reflects a shared pledge to one another, to parents, teachers, and students that quality authorizing is paramount – because Michigan’s children deserve it.
Special Education Services
Meeting the needs of Michigan's special education students is of utmost importance to all schools. So is following the law to ensure equity and opportunity for all.
That is why the state's public charter school authorizers has developed a detailed legal resource to help boost compliance and results across Michigan.
Better Fiscal Outcomes
Public charter schools in Michigan are more cost effective and produce a larger return on investment for taxpayers. These results persist even after controlling for student demographic factors that research suggests impacts both a school’s funding levels and its average student test scores.
Public Charter Management Companies
On average, CREDO researchers found that network-affiliated public charter schools increase student learning more than self-managed public charter schools. They also observed that all types of “public charter schools are having a positive impact.” Of course, these high-level results can obscure a great deal of variation among individual networks and schools, as well as differences among states.
Detroit's K–12 Strategy
The report and accompanying online tool lay the groundwork for cross-sector, citywide collaboration to boost access to performing public schools in the Motor City; to strategically allocate resources, including facilities; and to seize opportunities to adaptively reuse the sites of former schools to strengthen neighborhoods.
Attendance Matters
Research confirms what common sense dictates: Students learn less when their teachers aren’t there. According to multiple studies, a ten-day increase in teacher absence results in at least ten fewer days of learning for students.
MI Public Charter Achievement
A study from CREDO — a Stanford-based research group well known for its public charter school research — found that public charter schools in Michigan, and especially Detroit, moderately outperform district schools. The state’s for-profit public charter schools, if anything, perform better than non-profit public charter schools, according to CREDO, and, unlike in most other states, online public charter schools in Michigan do just as well as other schools.