Every state has different laws that govern its charter schools, which makes a consistent definition of charter schools a little more difficult. However, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools website (www.publiccharters.org) notes that definitions of charter schools in most states generally share these characteristics: (1) They are public schools--free to attend, publicly funded, part of the state school system, and accountable to public bodies for their results; (2) They are schools of choice, so they do not enroll students solely based on where they live; and (3) They are privately managed by an organization that has a charter, or contract, with an authorizer. This article focuses on the traits of successful charter schools.