This literature review compares the current knowledge about the characteristics of effective charter schools to findings from the broader body of effective school research. We find that lists of effectiveness characteristics from the charter and traditional literatures are well aligned: good schools seem to look the same, regardless of governance model. This finding has meaningful implications. Charter authorizers, district portfolio managers, and funders should look for these critical elements in new school applications, grant applications, or school improvement plans, as well as a well thought-out theory of how they will work together coherently. In addition, knowing that effective school characteristics are consistent across sectors, scholars should now direct their attention to examining how to implement, sustain, and replicate these conditions through actions at the school and systems levels.