From 1996 to March of 2004, the Charter Friends National Network (CFNN) was an active network of state-level charter support organizations and leaders that operated as a project of the Center for Policy Design in partnership with Hamline University. CFNN was in some ways a precursor to Education Evolving, with many of the CFNN folks also part of Education Evolving.

Over time, and with growth in the charter movement nationally, it became evident there was a need for an organization more formal than CFNN through which state and national supporters of charter schools could advance and defend this important innovation. Thus, the emergence of what is now known as the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools—a DC-based non-profit organization.

Among other things, the Alliance’s web site is now the “go-to” place for information on a number of initiatives formerly undertaken by CFNN, including the annual National Charter Schools Week and federal policy development, as well as an on-line directory of all major state charter school contacts and a calendar of upcoming charter-related conferences.

The Alliance has a two part mission—to serve as an effective voice for the charter movement nationally and to strengthen charter laws and support organizations in the states. The Alliance’s web site is also the place to go for information on National Charter Schools Week and the National Charter School Conference.