Giving Compass' Take:

• The legality of charter schools is once again in question in Washington State, where the Supreme Court is hearing a case about the issue. 

• How can policy changes satisfy the concerns of both parties? Can the charter system be improved?

• Learn why charter schools donors should consider funding an evaluation organization.

It’s been nearly three long years since the Friday before Labor Day weekend in 2015, when eight new charter schools that had just concluded their first few days of class got some unsettling news: The Washington state Supreme Court had ruled charters unconstitutional.

To understate the case, a lot has happened since then. Six months after the ruling, the legislature passed a law to fix the funding problem that was the basis for the court’s ruling. But another lawsuit by the same plaintiffs followed, alleging the fix was insufficient. As the new case has made its slow progression through the courts — including a ruling for the charter sector and a subsequent appeal — the charter sector has continued to grow, with new schools and grade levels opening each year.

Starting May 18th, the court will hear oral arguments in the second lawsuit; the same nine justices in the 2015 ruling will decide whether the 2016 law sufficiently addressed the court’s prior objections.

Read the full article about charter schools in Washington State by Kate Stringer at The 74.