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Charter schools have become a US phenomenon, garnering praise from Democrats and Republicans. Because they appear to sidestep both political stalemate and the practical difficulty of implementing widespread change - the traditional barriers to improvement in the American public sector - charter schools hold great promise as an educational reform. Now, with charter laws on the books in more than 30 states, Bryan Hassel investigates whether charter schools have been able to avoid the pitfalls that have tripped up so many other revolutionary school reforms.