Every charter school must have an educational plan including a mission statement. The mission statement provides the focus of the school and often explains how the school differs from traditional public schools. For example, Arts Based Elementary School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina incorporates dance, music, theater and visual arts with a basic education. American Renaissance Elementary in Statesville, states a philosophy of education focusing on a project-based, interactive curriculum. In Brevard, Brevard Academy boasts a mission to teach the whole child with an emphasis on respect and responsibility. Mission statements are a good place to start when comparing charter schools to traditional public schools.
In North Carolina, every public school has a report card, detailing the performance of students on standardized tests compared to the average performance of comparable students in the school district and state. The North Carolina Report Card includes student performance on the End-of-Grade (EOG) tests required of all students in grades three through eight; and on the End-of-Course (EOC) tests required of students who take advanced classes in middle school and of high school students. The report also states the number of students in the school who are on grade level academically, and whether the school met annual yearly progress --- the targeted percentage of students who pass the EOGs or EOCs.
The amount of parental involvement varies among charter schools, but since parents are a component of the charter school's foundation, parents must be willing to volunteer. Before choosing a charter school, investigate all of the expectations placed upon parents. For instance, at Winston-Salem's Arts Based Elementary parents are expected to volunteer one hour a week per child. In contrast to traditional public schools, Cape Fear Center for Inquiry in Wilmington expects a high level of parental involvement in the classroom. Transportation for students out of district is also the responsibility of the parent.
Charter schools are primarily funded by the state, but are not governed by the state's Board of Education. Therefore, teacher requirements are not the same as traditional public schools. In North Carolina, a highly qualified teacher is defined as one who has at least a bachelor's degree and a license or teaching certificate in the subject area being taught. Inquire at the charter school for the exact percentage of highly qualified or certified instructors in employment.