A national charter school advocacy group has released its annual ranking of charter-school friendly states. Florida grabbed the number five spot, down two places from a year before.
According to the National Association for Public Charter Schools, Florida continues to rank among the top states for having charter-friendly laws. But just because a state has strong charter school laws, does not mean it has strong charter schools.
“Our ranking report is based on how well the state laws stack up against the ideal model law. But the implementation side, of course, is another question," said NAPCS CEO Nina Rees.
The group says it plans to look at quality of schools as part of next year’s report card. In recent years, Florida lawmakers have relaxed rules, making it easier for the charter industry to expand. Critics say charters take funds away from traditional public schools, and there’s not a significant difference between public schools and charter schools when it comes to student performance.
For more news updates, follow Lynn Hatter on Twitter @HatterLynn
