How They Work

Charter schools are free to innovate in several ways that improve student achievement.

  • Adjust curriculum to meet student needs. A charter school can break up the day to provide students with more time on the core subjects they need most. Charter school teachers have a say in the curriculum they teach and frequently change materials mid-year in order to meet students’ needs.
  • Create a unique school culture. Charter schools build upon the core academic subjects by creating a culture of adopting a theme. For example, we focus on STEM education, others focus on performing arts, project-based learning, college preparation, career readiness, language immersion, etc.
  • Develop next generation learning models. Charter schools are completely rethinking the meaning of the word “classroom.” In our state, many public charter schools students spend their time outside completing hands-on projects and learning traditional subjects in a very unconventional ways.  Our partnerships with Marquette University College of Engineering and the Milwaukee County Parks Department, for example, help our students bridge the gap between what they learn and the world we live and work in, providing important exposure to many STEM careers and opportunities for further learning.
  • Use site-based decision-making. The governing board of a charter school is the heart and soul of the school.  It is true ‘local control.’ The governing board is made up of teachers, parents and community members who ensure that the school remains true to its mission, vision and accountability measures. This allows the school to be much more flexible and responsive to student and community needs.

WSTEM is Unique

WSTEM is an instrumentality charter school. Wisconsin’s charter schools focus on the areas of critical thinking, creativity and innovation, and serve as a “testing ground” for new curriculum and teaching methods. These methods are modified and developed into successful models that are then rolled out to conventional (non-charter) public schools.

Charter schools are created through a contract, or “charter,” between the operator of the school and the authorizer, which in Wisconsin is typically a local school board.

As part of the charter, and in exchange for more autonomy to develop innovative curricula, pedagogy and operational strategies, Wisconsin public charter schools have greater accountability than traditional (non-charter) public schools for student performance, financial matters and effective operations. Public charter school students take the state tests required of other public school students.