Rhode Island

Last week the Rhode Island legislature passed legislation to allow the creation of "Mayoral Academies," a new type of charter schools that would allow Mayors to recruit high-quality, nationally proven charter school operators to open new charter schools in their cities. Its a great idea that should help foster quality growth in what's currently a relatively weak charter school sector in Rhode Island. Previously, all charter schools in Rhode Island had to be approved by the State Department of Education, and that, combined with a moratorium on new charter schools that is set to expire this month, have kept the number of charter schools small. Evidence from Indianapolis, where the Mayor is authorized to grant school charters, suggests that enabling Mayors to authorize charter schools can produce good results.