Maligned and revered, exemplified or reviled, almost every discussion about charter schools involves a tangle of differing histories, theories, values, and facts. Worse, many times the parties to the discussion aren't even aware they're operating on different planes of discourse. A sort of mental gridlock often results. But by separating and addressing the layers of debate, a clearer picture of the issues and possible points of agreement emerges. At a minimum, highlighting the various tiers of discussion enables us to more readily recognize when the discussion is operating on conflicting planes.