This paper analyzes President Obama's education policies as they relate to charter schools. The authors first show how his policies continue previous neoconservative and neoliberal educational initiatives that marketize schooling. Arne Duncan's role in charter schools, both in his capacity as former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and in his capacity as Secretary of Education, is then discussed. Using evidence from empirical studies, the authors argue that the data supporting charter schools are underwhelming. Despite President Obama's invested hope, charter schools have not given children greater access to quality education, nor have they closed the "achievement gap." While the durable consequences of President Obama's charter policies remain unknown, research foreshadows the fate of American public schooling during and beyond President Obama's tenure as president. The authors then speculate on the future of public education in capitalized school markets and argue that charter schools are an intermediary step in the larger neoliberal and conservative agenda to privatize schools and funnel tax dollars into the market.