Charter schools are public schools that are responsive to students' needs and are held accountable for improved student achievement. They are highly innovative and designed to deliver programs tailored to educational excellence and the needs of the communities they serve.
They can be sponsored by the local school districts, CareerTechs, universities, federally recognized Indian tribes, and the State Department of Education. They operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools but are still held to the same accountability.
The basic concept of a charter school is to exercise increased autonomy in return for accountability. Charter schools are responsible to several groups for both academic results and fiscal practices: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them and the public that funds them.
