Why Charter Schools? Charter schools are a different kind of public school—the kind that is less restrained and more likely to be innovative.
Charter schools are tuition-free, publicly funded schools with many of the same requirements of traditional public schools. Not only do charter schools offer an alternative to traditional public schools, they often implement a unique focus and alternative learning styles. Charter schools are independently managed, operating under a charter, or an agreement between the school board and the sponsor. Charter schools improve education by giving parents more choices and offering students more creative approaches to learning. Charter schools have the freedom to innovate, but are held to high standards of performance. At OCCS, we sponsor 46 charter schools, all of which are held accountable by our organization and the Ohio Department of Education.
As public schools, charter schools are similar to traditional district schools in many areas critical to the education of students. For instance they are:
Due to heightened accountability, charter schools may innovate in the following ways:
In addition, they are required to abide by state and federal laws and regulations, in the areas of:
Three OCCS sponsored schools are in the top 10% of community schools: Columbus Preparatory Academy, Toledo Preparatory & Fitness Academy and Arts and College Preparatory Academy