Personalize
Right lesson. Right moment.
Milwaukee · Proposed public charter · 2027
Shrink the system.
Not childhood.
A modern village where personalized academics create more room for play, nature, meaningful work, and the relationships children need.
I want to be part of this Planning a 75-student K4–2 pilot
Concept visualization
The false choice
Rigor
or childhood?
Families should not have to choose.
Strong academics A healthy childhood
Understory is designed for both.
The operating model
The advantage
is the system.
Technology works quietly in the background—recovering time and money for what only people can do.
Simplify
Fewer administrative layers.
Reinvest
Play. Nature. Meaningful work.
Prove
Evidence-backed growth.
More childhood. More evidence. Lower overhead.
Concept visualizationWhy this is different
Three advantages.
One better childhood.
This is not a technology-first school. It is a childhood-first school made possible by better tools.
More of every dollar reaches the child.
Fewer layers and shared services direct resources toward educators, experiences, and learning.
Play is how children become capable.
Nature, movement, risk, food, friendship, and independence are part of the school day—not rewards after it.
Whole-child growth becomes visible.
One consistent 1–100 language combines benchmarks, observations, portfolios, and reflection.
A day at The Understory
A day built around how children grow.
Five rhythms. One whole child.
- 01Nature + connection
- 02Personalized academics
- 03Projects + making
- 04Food + movement
- 05Reflection + real-world work
The Understory Growth Map
Growth,
made visible.
Grades answer, “Did they complete the work?” Families deserve to know, “How is my child growing—and what comes next?”
01 One 1–100 language across the whole child
02 Every score tied to visible evidence
03 Every update ends with a next step
Illustrative sample · not student data
Maya R. · K5 · Winter 2027
+12whole-child
growth
growth
September profile 65Current profile 77
Three growth highlights
Mind +14 Explains reasoning and revises independently.Self +18 Recovers from frustration and returns to the work.Creativity +12 Tests multiple approaches and improves the design.
MindExtending68 82 +14
Baseline 68Target 86
How a child understands, reasons, and learns.
BodyApplying65 74 +9
Baseline 65Target 79
How a child builds physical confidence and healthy daily rhythms.
SelfApplying60 78 +18
Baseline 60Target 82
How a child understands, manages, and directs themselves.
OthersExtending74 81 +7
Baseline 74Target 85
How a child builds trust and contributes with other people.
WorldApplying58 69 +11
Baseline 58Target 75
How a child understands their place and acts with responsibility.
CreativityApplying67 79 +12
Baseline 67Target 84
How a child imagines, makes, experiments, and improves original work.
Next-cycle priorityWorld · 69 → 75
Use field observations to propose one realistic improvement for a shared community place.
What the six dimensions mean
A fuller picture of a growing child.
These are six parts of one child—not six separate grades. Each score summarizes demonstrated growth against age- and grade-specific rubric anchors.
01MindExtending
How a child understands, reasons, and learns.
Baseline68Current82Next target86
Subskills behind the score
Reading comprehension84
Mathematical reasoning80
Written expression76
Problem solving86
Attention + planning81
What educators look for
Literacy · numeracy · problem solving · attention · planning · learning strategies
What we observed
Explains ideas from text, shows the steps in mathematical reasoning, and independently revises after feedback.
Evidence reviewed
2 benchmarks · 4 work samples · 6 observations · 1 project rubric
May include: Reading and math benchmarks · writing and work samples · project rubrics · teacher observation.Next step
Support conclusions with two specific pieces of evidence.
At home
Ask: “What evidence helped you reach that conclusion?”
Student voice“I’m proud that I kept trying different ways until it made sense.”
02BodyApplying
How a child builds physical confidence and healthy daily rhythms.
Baseline65Current74Next target79
Subskills behind the score
Movement confidence78
Coordination72
Stamina69
Outdoor engagement83
Healthy routines70
What educators look for
Movement · coordination · stamina · outdoor engagement · safe risk · healthy routines
What we observed
Sustains active play for longer periods, navigates uneven terrain safely, and notices when the body needs rest or water.
Evidence reviewed
5 movement observations · 2 skill demonstrations · 4 reflections
May include: Movement observation · skill demonstrations · participation patterns · student goal reflections.Next step
Build balance and pacing during longer, multi-step outdoor challenges.
At home
Invite Maya to plan the route and rest stops for a family walk.
Student voice“I climbed farther because I stopped, looked, and tried again.”
03SelfApplying
How a child understands, manages, and directs themselves.
Baseline60Current78Next target82
Subskills behind the score
Self-awareness79
Emotional regulation75
Persistence84
Independence77
Follow-through76
What educators look for
Self-awareness · regulation · persistence · independence · initiative · follow-through
What we observed
Names frustration, selects a calming strategy, and returns to challenging work with less adult prompting.
Evidence reviewed
8 observations · 3 goal check-ins · 4 student reflections
May include: Teacher rubrics · student reflection · goal completion · learning and behavior notes.Next step
Choose and track one independent goal across an entire week.
At home
Ask Maya to name the strategy she wants to use before a difficult task.
Student voice“Taking a breath helps me get my brain ready again.”
04OthersExtending
How a child builds trust and contributes with other people.
Baseline74Current81Next target85
Subskills behind the score
Empathy84
Communication82
Collaboration79
Inclusion85
Conflict repair75
What educators look for
Empathy · communication · collaboration · inclusion · leadership · conflict repair
What we observed
Invites quieter peers into group work, listens to competing ideas, and helps the group reach a shared decision.
Evidence reviewed
6 collaboration rubrics · 3 peer responses · 5 observations
May include: Collaboration rubrics · peer feedback · teacher observation · community-circle reflection.Next step
Practice naming the problem and proposing a repair after conflict.
At home
Use: “What happened, who was affected, and what could repair it?”
Student voice“Our idea got better when everybody added something.”
05WorldApplying
How a child understands their place and acts with responsibility.
Baseline58Current69Next target75
Subskills behind the score
Curiosity78
Stewardship72
Real-world application66
Community knowledge63
Contribution68
What educators look for
Curiosity · stewardship · real-world application · community knowledge · contribution
What we observed
Asks strong questions during fieldwork and records careful observations, but still needs support connecting findings to community action.
Evidence reviewed
2 project artifacts · 3 fieldwork notes · 1 presentation · 1 partner response
May include: Project artifacts · fieldwork notes · exhibitions · presentations · partner feedback.Next step
Use field observations to propose one realistic improvement for a shared place.
At home
Notice one neighborhood problem together and brainstorm three possible responses.
Student voice“I want to make a sign so people know why the creek matters.”
06CreativityApplying
How a child imagines, makes, experiments, and improves original work.
Baseline67Current79Next target84
Subskills behind the score
Idea generation84
Expression80
Experimentation82
Design + making77
Revision73
What educators look for
Idea generation · expression · experimentation · design · revision · productive risk-taking
What we observed
Generates several original approaches, tests materials confidently, and increasingly uses feedback to improve a design.
Evidence reviewed
5 portfolio pieces · 2 process reviews · 1 exhibition · 3 reflections
May include: Creative portfolio · design-process artifacts · performance or exhibition · student reflection.Next step
Document why each revision made the final work stronger.
At home
Ask: “What changed between your first idea and your final one?”
Student voice“The part that failed showed me what to build next.”
How the 1–100 scale works
Developmental—not comparative.
A 77 is not 77% correct, a letter grade, an IQ score, or a percentile ranking. It describes the level a child consistently demonstrates on a defined developmental rubric.
1–20Emerging
The skill is beginning to appear with substantial support.
21–40Building
The child demonstrates parts of the skill with regular support.
41–60Practicing
The skill is becoming more consistent in familiar situations.
61–80Applying
The child uses the skill independently in multiple situations.
81–100Extending
The child transfers, adapts, and deepens the skill in new situations.
01Collect
Benchmarks, observations, portfolios, projects, and reflection create multiple evidence points.
02Calibrate
Educators compare evidence to shared age- and grade-specific rubric anchors for consistency.
03Explain
Families see the current score, change from baseline, supporting evidence, and plain-language meaning.
04Act
Every reporting cycle ends with a focused next step for the child, educator, and family.
Planned measurement framework for the 2027 pilot. Rubrics, evidence rules, and calibration protocols will be tested and refined before reporting live student results.
The focused launch
Start small enough to learn.
Strong enough to prove.
One Milwaukee pilot. Evidence before expansion.
of about 19
Launch gate: confirm demand for all 75 seats before major fixed commitments.
Founding team
The team matches the model.
Community access meets deliberate school design.
Jeremy Fojut
Partnerships + launch
Community · authorization · capital · enrollment
Monica Hidalgo
Learning + school design
Learning model · educators · experience · measurement
The 2027 invitation
Build the first school.
Prove a better childhood.
We’re gathering the founding community of Milwaukee families, educators, partners, and supporters who want to help make this real.
75 studentsK4–2Milwaukee