Beyond the Headlines

Florida Charter Institute

The Florida Charter Institute created Beyond the Headlines as a space to share our team’s perspectives on the news shaping charter schools today. Through original op-eds and thought leadership pieces, we provide context, highlight key issues, spark dialogue, and offer insights to strengthen Florida’s charter school community.

Most Recent Article

Success Academy is coming to Florida — good news for families

Success Academy’s expansion into Florida marks a major step for the state’s Schools of Hope program, bringing one of the nation’s top-performing charter networks to Miami by 2027. Despite criticism, Florida’s charter schools continue to improve outcomes for students, especially in disadvantaged communities. Success Academy’s rigorous, high-achieving model offers low-income families access to quality education comparable to private schools, strengthening school choice and expanding opportunity across the state. Read the full article on the original website.

Charter school regulation means keeping the destination in sight

Michael Petrilli recently made a sensible case for charter school regulation—not for its own sake, but because charter authorizers should concern themselves with how our public schools are being run. “Let’s embrace the potential for innovation,” he contends, “but not be Pollyanna about the potential for waste, fraud, abuse, bad ideas, poor execution, and all the rest that comes along with human imperfection.”

Commentary: Can charter schools keep up with the choice revolution?

Are charter schools losing their mojo? Earlier this month I attended the National Charter Schools Conference in Orlando, an annual convening of operators and stakeholders from across the charter world. It’s both an uncertain and exciting time for charter schools — internal turmoil and sweeping enthusiasm for school choice are asking questions of the now 30-year-old public charter movement.

Florida’s charter schools face uncertainty after SCOTUS ruling

Unlike private schools, charter schools are defined by their 'publicness.' A recent Supreme Court ruling prompts Florida lawmakers to consider the unique role charter schools play in the state.

Job engine charter schools can accelerate career pathways in Florida | Opinion

A bill progressing through Florida’s House and Senate proposes an innovative school model that would meaningfully expand career pathways for young people in the state—should lawmakers put students first.

Commentary: Latest educational assessment is good for Florida charter schools

According to a recent educational-progress assessment test, in both reading and math, fourth and eighth-grade charter school students performed better than students in traditional district schools in Florida and better than the national average.

School choice has nothing to do with segregation | Opinion

In a recent column, educator Sierra Bush Rester claims that school choice, whether in the form of private vouchers or public charter schools, is “rooted in segregationist policy.” Her own arguments, unfortunately, are rooted in falsehoods and completely mischaracterize school choice policies in Florida, past and present.