Charter school advocates rank Minn. No. 1

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools puts Minnesota at No. 1 in its latest rankings of charter school laws.

Some of the components the charter advocate group likes about Minnesota's law: It doesn't restrict the number or types of schools allowed, and it allows charters to be creative by exempting them from the rules and regulations that other public schools need to abide by.

Eli Kramer, executive director of the charter school system Hiawatha Academies in Minneapolis, is happy about the ranking, but says Minnesota's focus should be on making sure charter schools are doing high quality work.

"It's not just the innovation that matters, it's in fact innovating specifically around the things that work, and lets do more of those and less of everything else," he said.

The first charter school in the country opened in 1992 in St. Paul.

Read the full report here.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.