Charter Schools USA is one of nation's largest providers of charter school management services in the United States and a leader in the development and design of charter schools. As its mission states, "CSUSA creates and operates high quality schools with an unwavering dedication to student achievement, unyielding commitment to ethical and sound business practices, and providing a choice for communities, parents, students and professionals that fosters educational excellence in America."
With the CSUSA Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum at its core, the Charter Schools USA Educational Model provides the process for improving student learning and academic achievement. Our Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum is aligned to specific Common Core Georgia Performance Standards and is the framework of what is taught at each grade level. By aligning to the Common Core State Standards, the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum ensures high expectations with a focus on college and career readiness from primary grades through high school. Timely and specific feedback based upon formative assessments of student performance on grade level expectations is given to establish individualized goals for all students and to modify instruction to meet the learning needs of all students.
Each Charter Schools USA school is an integrated part of the surrounding community and reliant upon strategic partnerships with community organizations, businesses and individuals to drive student success. Each school should serve as the anchor of the surrounding community by facilitating resources and initiatives that meet the unique needs of students, families, and the community, and capitalize on the assets and resources of the local community to enhance the student learning environment . This innovative strategy for incorporating the community and its assets into the design and development of programming is the Community of Character framework. This framework integrates community partners in learning and lifelong activities that make it a model for academic achievement, data-driven instruction, youth development, postsecondary/workforce preparation and community collaboration while allowing the school to become a center of community support, civic participation, and community engagement.
Our character education program is integrated thoroughly within our classrooms every day. We utilize an evidence-based approach that has proven to ultimately result in higher student achievement and create positive communities throughout the school and beyond its walls. We use age-appropriate programs: Responsive Classroom, Developmental Designs and Restorative Justice to help students learn to deeply respect each other, establish positive and affirming relationships and develop solid communication skills that resolve conflicts and help everyone, including teachers, students and administrators to be successful members of every community. This ongoing character development starts in the classroom and continues on to hallways, lunch rooms, buses, and eventually to homes and neighborhoods.
We know that children enjoy greater success in school when the adults they admire most take an interest in their education. Our students' parents are required to commit to 20 volunteer hours each year (30 for 2 or more children) for the school. These hours foster closer relationships and ensure a more secure learning environment.
CSUSA students are encouraged to learn new languages. Our early foreign language curriculum includes lessons that promote multisensory learning through integrated technology such as music and video. Age appropriate games and culturally relevant activities designed to take our elementary students beyond the classroom and into the real world.