Charter schools are deregulated public schools, free from most district and state oversight in exchange for meeting specific academic and financial standards over a fixed time period. The schools operate at public expense, and parents are free to choose them instead of sending their children to a standard public school.

The charter-school movement has attracted support from across the political spectrum, enjoying nearly universal support in theory. But it is another story on the operational level. In many states, charters cannot offer truly innovative programs because they remain bound to public authorities. If charters are to help improve public education, then they will have to be more independent and less regulated than they are in many states, where the surge in charter schools is based on the failures of the present system.

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