Hawaii Charter School Law: Measuring up to the Model?

From National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

• Year Charter School Law Was Enacted:  1994
• Estimated Number of Public Charter Schools in 2013-14:  33
• Estimated Number of Public Charter School Students in 2013-14:  10,398
• Rank: 21 out of 43
• TOTAL SCORE: 140 out of 228

Hawaii did not pass any legislation in 2013 that affected its score and ranking.

Hawaii’s score increased from 139 points in 2013 to 140 points this year. The score changed because of further clarification about the specific policies for Component #6 (Transparent Charter Application, Review, and Decision making Processes) and Component #13 (Automatic Exemptions from Many State and District Laws and Regulations).

Its ranking went from #14 to #21. This drop had more to do with the aggressive changes made in other states than with any steps backward in Hawaii.

Hawaii’s law still needs significant improvement in several areas, including beefing up the requirements for charter application, review, and decision making processes; exempting charter schools from collective bargaining agreements; and ensuring equitable operational funding and equitable access to capital funding and facilities.

read ... The Entire Report