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Accelerating Public Charter Schools: Lessons from Idaho's Regulatory Reform. Issue Brief

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Accelerating Public Charter Schools: Lessons from Idaho's Regulatory Reform. Issue Brief
Language: English
Authors: Alex Adams, Manhattan Institute (MI)
Source: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 2025.
Availability: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-599-7000; Fax: 212-599-3494; Web site: http://www.manhattan-institute.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Public Schools, Educational Change, Educational Legislation, State Regulation, State Legislation, Educational History, Government Role
Geographic Terms: Idaho
Abstract: Idaho was an early adopter of charter school legislation, which the state first implemented in 1998. Idaho adopted many incremental improvements to the original law over time, but by 2018, charter stakeholders were pushing for more serious reform. In 2024, the governor signed the Accelerating Public Charter Schools Act (APCSA), which comprehensively repealed and replaced the state's charter school laws and regulations in order to provide far greater operational autonomy for charter schools. The approach embodied in APCSA was based on an understanding of the diversity in the charter school landscape, grouping charter schools into segments and offering "earned autonomy" to the highest performers. High-performing charter schools could now earn longer renewal periods from their authorizers, as well as other benefits, such as fast-track replication of copycat schools into new markets. Idaho provides a useful case study to states on how to update charter school laws, balancing operational autonomy with accountability in a proper regulatory framework. This paper presents Idaho's approach to regulatory reform in a field that had evolved piecemeal over 25 years, which may offer useful lessons for a wide range of states.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED679611
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Idaho was an early adopter of charter school legislation, which the state first implemented in 1998. Idaho adopted many incremental improvements to the original law over time, but by 2018, charter stakeholders were pushing for more serious reform. In 2024, the governor signed the Accelerating Public Charter Schools Act (APCSA), which comprehensively repealed and replaced the state's charter school laws and regulations in order to provide far greater operational autonomy for charter schools. The approach embodied in APCSA was based on an understanding of the diversity in the charter school landscape, grouping charter schools into segments and offering "earned autonomy" to the highest performers. High-performing charter schools could now earn longer renewal periods from their authorizers, as well as other benefits, such as fast-track replication of copycat schools into new markets. Idaho provides a useful case study to states on how to update charter school laws, balancing operational autonomy with accountability in a proper regulatory framework. This paper presents Idaho's approach to regulatory reform in a field that had evolved piecemeal over 25 years, which may offer useful lessons for a wide range of states.