Even as charter schooling has been at the forefront of education reform efforts, we know remarkably little about how these schools approach this critical dimension of education. What have charter schools done with the opportunity to rethink civic education? Are there lessons to be learned? Are there challenges that impede their ability to teach citizenship?

Have efforts to cultivate "vocational" citizenship skills failed to satisfy the broader obligation of schools to cultivate the next generation of citizens and civic leaders?

Where Obama went wrong on education – and what Romney needs to say

School choice supporters have been disappointed by the results of standardized test scores. It is time to acknowledge that standardized test scores are a terrible way to decide whether one school is better than another.

Dynamic new ventures like the KIPP Academies, Edison, or Green Dot Public Schools are increasingly being asked to stand in for failing district schools.

Many of the most successful charter school providers are embarking on ambitious growth plans; the climate for expansion seems hospitable.

Is the "no excuses" approach to schooling sustainable, and can it be widely reproduced?