This paper focuses on how charter schools offer new opportunities for student achievement, parent participation in school governance, and teacher empowerment and freedom. Public charter schools are independent public schools that ensure accountability, offer choices, involve parents, and encourage innovation. The paper describes myths about charter schools (e.g., myths regarding selection of students, student diversity, and student funding). It asserts that charter schools have proven successful by many measures, including their rapid growth nationwide, high participant satisfaction rate, and student achievement. It presents district responses to charter schools (e.g., they provide the incentive, system leverage, and school financing structure to stimulate the public school system to change and make innovative new choices). The paper describes necessary steps toward developing a successful charter school, finding community partners, and financing charter schools. The paper offers statistics on charter schools and lists national contacts, state information resources, state department of education contacts, and publications. (SM)