He dispels many claims made about charter schools and tries to demonstrate the need for educational reform in the United States.

The hostility of those critics, Sowell says, is a result of the corrupting influence of money, power, and political advantage, but rarely the best interests of children.

[1] He points out that charter schools have been in high demand by parents ever since they began in the 1990s with long waiting lists and a lottery for available slots.

[2] Sowell presents a great deal of data and statistics comparing the performance of students within charter and public schools.

He cites former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch who claimed that charter schools consist only of "the most motivated students and their families" and a study by professor Gordon Lafer that claimed charter admission policies screen out underperforming students who would be the neediest and most expensive to serve.