Ten states don't have any form of law allowing charter schools, but some states have a law that is so weak that effectively robs students of the opportunities that a charter school can bring. Forest M. Thigpen, president of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, explains why his state should improve its charter school law. (It has a total of ... one ... charter school.)

Mississippi would be wise to allow charter schools to develop. It's one of the poorest states in the country, and charter schools seem to work even better for students from low-income families than they do for students at large.