Chapter 4: Intentional Authorizer Engagement in Sustaining Mid-Career Public Charter School Leadership: Lessons From the Field

Authorizers understand the challenges that leaders in public charter schools face. Leaders in public charter schools may have more varied responsibilities and roles than found in their traditional school counterparts, but also face unique challenges and leadership configurations due to the nature of charter schools. Leadership within public charter schools often is required to both live up to the expectations of oversight, while maintaining strong professional relationships that will simultaneously allow students and the teachers who work with them to flourish while fostering systems of excellence that allow the school to be a model for innovation and choice. Despite this tension, or perhaps because of it, charter school leaders have the opportunity to identify and develop the skills and characteristics that sustain transformative educational practices (Leahy & Shore, 2019). Mid-career leaders are uniquely positioned in this context to be engaged in transformative practices within their district while exemplifying leadership practices across a large portfolio.

This chapter builds on the commitments and experiences of one of the nation’s largest charter authorizers in deploying resources, engaging stakeholders, and identifying critical needs across a public charter school portfolio to better understand the efficacy—and effects—of intentional professional development and other engagement on mid-career leadership capacity in the charter sector. Through an examination of professional development offerings, leadership support, and resources that are deployed to bolster student engagement and outcomes, we argue that authorizing bodies in the charter sector have a unique capacity to rapidly respond to emerging issues for mid-career leadership and provide a foundation for sustainable leadership growth. Mid-career leadership can leverage authorizer resources to commit to strategies of innovation and provide guidance and support for high-quality instructional practices.