... I just don't believe that the majority of charters are anything more than for-profit money-making schemes at this point.
There is good and bad everywhere. Just as a negative experience with a few teachers or gifted kids is best not generalized to all teachers, or gifted kids, the greed evident in some charters may best not be generalized to all charters.
In casting a wider net to seek examples beyond our own personal experiences, some may wish to look at the organization greatschools which gathers and provides basic information on many schools, including public and charters. Greatschools also maintains a collection of articles which range in topic from gifted ed... to questions to ask and what to observe to ensure a good "fit"... to what to do when the teacher is a bully.
There are also many books featuring schools which may be role models and provide inspiration for what is possible. Here is one such book, there are many others featured on the same amazon page
http://www.amazon.com/No-Excuses-Lessons-High-Performing-High-Poverty/dp/0891950907/ Some charters have high graduation rates, and high rates of students going on to post-secondary education.
While schools often stimulate competition among students as a means of keeping children striving to constantly improve their personal best, and tout this as great real-world experience, it seems ironic that some may not believe that same sense of competition among various educational institutions may keep the institutions striving to constantly improve themselves.
