Even though the charter school idea has been around for 15 years, it still faces foot-dragging and opposition, not to mention misunderstanding. This point came home as I read a short write up from the Center for Education Reform about the National Charter Schools Conference. Here's an excerpt from the Center's latest e-mail newsletter:

"A buzz is spreading at the National Conference about the three L's: legislators, lawsuits, and legislation. At a number of the breakout sessions, operators and charter school proponents opened the floodgates when it came time to ask questions. Operators wanted to know where to find legal precedents to help them fight lawsuits on constitutionality, independent boards and other restrictions. Parents and advocates asked about the crucial components of model charter legislation, which spurred discussions from audience members as to where their state ranked or what were good examples of authorizers. The most important point in the debate over how best to create good charter environments resonated at the end of one particular panel: participants stressed the importance of forcing legislators to hear the voices of our children by making sure charter students were seen in the halls of Capitol Buildings to educate those individuals who would pass the laws that could mean the difference between charter schools flourishing or closing."