Traditional public education in many urban areas throughout the US is woefully inadequate and it is unacceptable that a child's zip code determines the quality of his or her education.  Charter school networks are filling this void and in many cases providing low-income / minority children with an education superior to that of their more privileged peers.  The arguments against charter schools - that they self-select the top kids from the public schools, that they take resources (both money and space) from neighbhorhood schools, that they hire non-union teachers - are many.  However, there is no clear, across-the-board solution to the dire state of traditional public schools in the US and until that solution comes into focus, charter schools provide a free, high-quality education to children who would otherwise be left behind.