Improving the quality of charter school authorizing is critical for improving the quality of charter schools and the outcomes experienced by students and communities. As every charter school has an authorizer, improvement in authorizing has the power to be among the most significant catalysts in creating many more high-quality schools and closing persistently failing schools that do not prepare students for future learning, civic participation, and workforce demands. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers' (NACSA's) research and evaluation division conducted a thematic qualitative analysis of those evaluations. The analysis was designed to identify common strengths and weaknesses and ultimately to provide empirically based and detailed findings on specific practices authorizers are using across the country. It is anticipated that authorizers, NACSA, and other entities interested in improving authorizing will use these findings to design better technical assistance activities, professional development engagements, tools, templates, and other approaches that ultimately lead to a stronger sector of charter schools.