When Kaleem Caire opened One City Early Learning preschool on Madison’s south side a decade ago, he was determined to expand to more grade levels and make the school a statewide model for innovation.
In their first charter school application, Caire and other founders declared One City would offer a “new kind of public education” designed to improve learning outcomes for students who’ve historically struggled to succeed in other Wisconsin schools.
Caire and his team went on to develop schools focused on additional student support: One City has two teachers in many classrooms, for example, and longer school days. Today, nine out of 10 enrollees are students of color, and more than half are economically disadvantaged…