There are a variety of educational and operational challenges facing charter networks that want to achieve scale and sustainability. A key aspect of those challenges—the overall education finance picture and, in particular, the funding shortfalls facing charter schools—has received insufficient attention as a cause of the slower-than-expected growth of some charter school networks. In many places this is a prime culprit. Accordingly, until states overhaul both their education and charter school finance policies, no one should be surprised that, absent help from philanthropy, many schools, even the very best ones, will operate on tight margins and struggle with growth and scale.

From Bellweather Education Partners new report, “Location, Location, Location: How would a high-performing charter school network fare in different states”