The Huntersville Herald offers an in-depth look at Corvian Community School in Charlotte, NC. Corvian just began its first year as a public charter after being a low-tuition private school. As a public charter, many teachers say this frees them up to control how to best educate their individual students.

“Here, teachers are empowered to make decisions and use their expertise,” third grade teacher Christa Olech said. “We’re leaders in the school, and we can be creative. We still follow state standards, but we’re entrusted to teach how we feel works best in our classrooms.”

At Corvian, teachers are assigned thematic units, or overall unifying themes that link subjects together. All lessons and activities tie back to the theme and often finish up with a class activity or field trip. The school’s structure also permits teachers to arrange their class schedule to students’ needs and learning styles.

“When you tell a child they can write what they want to write about, their writing turns out to be really good,” Executive Director Stacey Haskell shared.

You can read more about Corvian Community here.