About Us
Founded in 1998, the Tennessee Charter Schools Association (TCSA) is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization committed to improving student achievement by supporting excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, and engagement in public education in Tennessee.
In 2002, Tennessee became the 39th state to pass a Public Charter School Law. With the passage of the charter law, the role of the TCSA evolved into
- Providing knowledge, skills, and expertise to the charter school community throughout the State of Tennessee; and
- Increasing public awareness of the nature, purpose, and benefits of public charter schools.
There are currently 22 operating charter schools in the state of Tennessee.
To support the growing charter movement in Tennessee, TCSA has developed three strategic priorities:
- Charter School Quality and Accountability;
- Advocacy; and
- Member Services.
Charter School Quality and Accountability
TCSA will work to strengthen the educational and operational performance of existing Tennessee charter schools and ensure new charter schools open with strong leadership, and sound management systems and practices. TCSA will develop Quality Statements for charter schools, measure school performance, deliver school improvement assistance, and provide management and operations support.
Advocacy
TCSA will focus on Advocacy in order to create a public opinion environment that supports charter school quality and growth through active involvement with community leaders and members.
Member Services
TCSA's Member Services initiatives will focus on strengthening the academic, management, and operational capacity of existing charter schools and supporting the development of new high quality charter schools by providing needed technical assistance and access to resources.