Free to Lead: Autonomy in Highly Successful Charter Schools

Joe Ableidinger and Bryan C. Hassel, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, April 2010

Autonomy is a key component of the charter school concept. Offering charter schools autonomy over decisions can enable schools to better work for their students. This report outlines autonomy in practice at five high-performing charter schools. Important autonomous features include freedom to develop a team, to independently manage teachers, to change curricular or classroom structure, to alter scheduling, to define school culture, and less financial and board restrictions as the most important factors in their school success.