As students and communities emerge from the ravages of a global pandemic, authorizing faces a key challenge: embracing its fundamental role of providing high-quality educational opportunities, while evolving to meet new demands and expectations, especially those created by the pandemic. How it navigates this tension will impact millions of students and families. This brief report discusses: (1) the authorization of the most consequential school governance reform of the past two decades; (2) the driving force of family and community demands and aspirations; (3) creating a way out by fostering high-quality innovation; (4) taking a fresh look at authorizing policy and practice opportunities; and (5) handling high-quality innovation in the future.