Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Steven Wilson, Senior Fellow at Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research; Margaret “Macke” Raymond, Program Director at Stanford University; Oliver Sicat, CEO at Ednovate; Amy McGrath, Managing Director at ASU Preparatory Academy; Dana Peterson, CEO at New Schools for New Orleans; and Kirianne Suriano, Senior Director of Strategic Operations at CSUSA.

The speakers explored how, three decades into the charter movement, charter schools were facing a defining moment. They examined how the next era demanded innovation through specialization, personalization, and measurable impact, while also confronting critical questions about performance, equity, and long-term opportunity.

This session examined performance data alongside lived operator experience to assess where public charters had delivered transformative outcomes and where they needed to evolve to remain engines of opportunity within a pluralistic education system. Panelists discussed where charter schools had successfully innovated and outperformed, where progress had been uneven, and what lessons could shape the next generation of charter design.

The conversation focused on what charter innovation should prioritize moving forward if charters were to continue driving access and excellence. At its core, this session examined how the next chapter of the charter movement must be written with greater clarity, rigor, and ambition—ensuring that innovation translated into durable outcomes for students and stronger educational systems.