For some time, research has indicated that charter schools, on average, provide a superior education to students living in poverty, Black students, and Hispanic students. Now, research also shows charter schools are improving at a faster rate than district schools. To accelerate the achievement of all children in all types of schools, it may help to take a closer look at why one group of public schools (charter) is improving faster than another (district). The answer is twofold: (1) The combination of choice and flexibility provides charter schools with the incentive and the ability to implement practices that lead to better results; and (2) The charter sector has taken decisive actions based on those results, closing low-performing schools and replicating those that are succeeding. These two factors work in tandem and reinforce each other to drive improvement; one without the other would not likely produce the same level of progress. States began enacting charter-school laws 30 years ago, in part to create a "laboratory" for learning about effective innovation and improvement that could be transferred to other public schools. Three decades in, that knowledge is available and, if educators do learn from it and apply it throughout public education, it can be used to accelerate learning for all children.