english, language arts and math exams. dream is just one of 7,000 public charter schools serving 3.2 million students across 43 states. charter schools now educate 6% of the k-12 students nationally with much higher percentages in some communities. they are more likely than other public schools to enroll students of color as well as students from low-income backgrounds. where charter schools are available, students no longer have their academic options limited by their zip code. a growing number of charter schools are making diversity an essential component of their design alongside academic excellence, and leaders and cities such as denver, san antonio and indianapolis have pursued collaboration between district and charter schools in order to make high quality public school options accessible to as many students as possible. charter schools thrive where they have the freedom to innovate, to pursue diverse ways of teaching and to respond to the needs of students rather than the mandates of bureaucracies, and charter schools perform best when they are held to high standards. accountability is a central value of charter schools. we know for public school choice to be truly meaning