Leading National Collaboration to Strengthen Charter School Authorizing

The National Network for District Authorizing (NN4DA) is a national; collaborative network dedicated to improving charter school authorizing through shared learning, state-led innovation, and cross-sector collaboration. As the lead organization for the CSP National Model Development & Dissemination (MDD) Grant, NN4DA coordinates a multi-state effort to design, test, and scale high-quality authorizing tools that support diverse charter school models across the country.

About the Grant

A federal five-year effort to improve innovative charter school models and strengthen the authorizing systems that support them.

What is this initiative?

The Innovative Charter Models initiative is supported by a federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) Model Development & Dissemination (MDD) Grant won by the National Network for District Authorizing (NN4DA). The initiative will strengthen innovative charter models and improve authorizing practices across the charter school lifecycle—from application to pre-opening, oversight, and renewal. The purpose is not to promote these models, or more charter schools generally, but to help ensure that new schools can be approved that are innovative and fulfill public policy considerations.

Why This Matters

Innovative models can face approval, opening, and operational barriers. Petitioners may not understand authorizer considerations and concerns. Authorizers may have limited capacity and tools for evaluating emerging models. This initiative addresses these challenges.

• Authorizer-informed model guidance
• Model-aligned authorizing guidance and evaluation protocols
• Burden reduction strategies (including AI applications)
• Support systems to help authorizers implement best practices

Our Role in the Grant

NN4DA serves as the primary facilitator and project director, responsible for designing programming, coordinating all state partners, and ensuring timely completion of deliverables. Led by Executive Director Dr. Alex Medler, NN4DA manages the full project infrastructure—from oversight and technical assistance to national dissemination.

As part of this leadership role, NN4DA:

• Convenes state partners through regular meetings, shared planning structures, and cross-state working groups.
• Oversees the development of model-specific task forces, ensuring each group has the tools, support, and research needed to create high-quality resources.
• Builds and manages a national technical assistance system to help authorizers adopt new tools, support diverse charter models, and improve oversight practices.
• Coordinates nationwide dissemination, ensuring materials reach authorizers, operators, incubators, state agencies, and other stakeholders.

A Network Powered by State Partners

The grant is implemented by a network of Primary State Partners (PSPs)—California, Colorado, Florida, and Wisconsin—and Incubating State Partners (ISPs) in Georgia, Oklahoma, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Each partner leads task force work, engages local authorizers, and develops technical assistance tailored to their state’s context.

This state-driven structure ensures that authorizing improvements are practical, scalable, and grounded in real conditions across the country.