The Working Group on Charter School Leadership, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, December 2008

A new kind of leadership development system is needed to sustain the charter community. This brief outlines a proposed charter leader development program and also emphasizes improving current leadership opportunities. Key components of such a system would be the creation of a leadership credential, increased access to leadership training, and evaluations based upon student achievement gains, among others.

by National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, October 2008

Charter schools receive record numbers of teacher applications, many from teachers employed in traditional schools. Teachers wish to work in charters because they are effective in educating disadvantaged students, and because they want to work alongside others who share their passion for education. This publication offers a brief overview of workforce unionization, then provides recommendations for schools to increase "teacher voice", and lastly, gives suggestions as to how charter school leaders and teachers can more effectively work with unions to promote the charter philosophy.

National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance

Charter school business managers play a critical role in ensuring their organization's success and sustainability. However, these key staff members often work only with school leaders and board members to manage school finances. This brief highlights the Colorado Department of Education's Business Managers Network, a technical assistance and networking program to help charter school business managers build the necessary skills, capacity and relationships to meet their challenging responsibilities.

by American Institutes for Research, June 2010

Restructuring means making major, rapid changes that affect how a school is led and how instruction is delivered. Restructuring is essential in achieving rapid, dramatic improvements in student learning. The guide focuses on four distinct paths to school restructuring including turnaround with new leader and staff, transformation with a new leader and existing staff, and restarting completely as a new charter school.. For each path, the major elements for restructuring are outlined.

Christine Campbell and Brock J. Grubb, National Charter School Research Project and the University of Washington, June 2008

As charter schools continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a strong supply of charter school leaders. This study examines 13 specialty-training programs for charter school leaders. The researchers explore the backgrounds of the leaders, the quality of the training programs, and compare them to traditional training programs. Findings indicate that the charter school leadership programs contain greater opportunities for "hands-on" experience. However, researchers note that too often the charter leadership programs provide limited guidance in how to successfully engage parents, manage finances, and fundraise.

National Charter School Resource Center, November 2010
Between 2004 and 2008, the number of rural charter schools grew from 207 to 652. Rural charter schools face a multitude of unique challenges. This article discusses some of those obstacles and provides resources for rural charter school leaders to overcome the challenges.