S2 E1 Where It All Began – The Roots of Chartering

In our Season 2 premiere, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner travel back to the spark that ignited a national movement. With guests Don Cooper and Ember Reichgott Junge, we trace the formative ideas, people, and policy moments that shaped chartering—from early proposals by Ray Budde to Al Shanker’s influential 1988 National Press Club speech, and the Minnesota Citizens League’s work that turned ideas into law.

This episode pairs vivid storytelling with primary sources so you can follow along, explore the documents yourself, and share them with your teams.

Explore the primary sources

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  National Charter Schools Founders Library (primary-source archive): https://charterlibrary.org/

  
  


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  Al Shanker, National Press Club (1988): overview at the Founders Library: https://charterlibrary.org/library/albert-shanker-national-press-club-speech-1988/ 

  
  


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  Ray Budde resources: https://charterlibrary.org/search/?_author=ray-budde&_author_list=ray-budde\

  
  


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  • Education by Charter (backgrounder / origins): https://www.educationevolving.org/files/Ray-Budde-Origins-Of-Chartering.pdf
  
  
  • Strengthen School‑Based Management by Chartering All Schools (1996): https://openlibrary.org/books/OL31401521M/Strengthen_school-based_management_by_chartering_all_schools
  
  
  • Kolderie essay on Budde’s origins (PDF): https://charterlibrary.org/library/ray-budde-the-origins-of-the-charter-concept-by-ted-kolderie/
  
  
  • Founders Library feature: “1988—The Launch of an Idea”: https://charterlibrary.org/library/1988-the-launch-of-an-idea/
  
  
  
  


• Ember Reichgott Junge’s book Zero Chance of Passage (Founders Library page): https://charterlibrary.org/zero-chance-of-passage-shop/

What we cover

• Ray Budde’s charter concept: Why a quiet academic proposed reorganizing authority by giving teacher teams contractual autonomy—and how that differed from traditional “program” reforms.


• Al Shanker’s second-wave reform: Why a national union leader called for teacher‑led, autonomous public schools—and how that reframed the conversation.


• From ideas to statute: How Minnesota’s Citizens League translated theory into policy architecture, paving the way for the first charter law.


• Politics, promise, and pushback: Early tensions, misperceptions, and the practical tradeoffs that shaped implementation.

Why it matters now

Understanding chartering’s roots isn’t nostalgia—it’s navigation. Knowing the original intent (teacher power + public accountability) helps today’s leaders stay true to the promise while innovating for the future.

Takeaways

• Chartering began as a public‑school reform from within: autonomy with accountability.


• Real change scaled when local civic groups turned ideas into workable law and authorizers implemented with integrity.

Listen now and use the links above to dive deeper, brief your board, or kickstart PD with founding documents.