Charter schools are being promoted in Colorado as a futuristic solution for low performing schools. However, a key policy question is, can mandating a public school to convert to a charter school really help students succeed? The purpose of this paper is to inform educators, funders, and policymakers about the current state-of-the-art of charter schools nationally and in Colorado. The paper details the lessons learned from charter schools across Colorado, and provides a national context for understanding the challenges and evolution of local charter schools. The paper provides a review of typical start-up problems and start-up problems faced by Colorado charter schools. Three phases are presented and include: (1) development problems during conception and implementation; (2) early problems the charter school will likely encounter in the first few years of operation; and (3) “second generation” issues which are recurring problems that continue to frustrate veteran charter schools. Most of the start-up challenges can be overcome with plenty of sweat equity from the charter schools’ founders and staff, as well as assistance from national and local organizations. As the charter school movement matures, many of the issues and challenges presented in this paper will be ameliorated. References