Can public and charter schools peacefully coexist? “Demonizing the Helpers” wouldn’t be a theme of so many posts if it wasn’t such a common defensive strategy adopted by entrenched interests. In this case, Thomas Sowell notes that “charter schools provoke the ire of those who have failed students up to now.” It’s good to reflect on the actual goals of our educational system and to weigh every option that could help to achieve those goals. Real outcomes show that changes in public education are sorely needed, and charter schools have proven that they can be part of the solution. Instead, stakeholders in the failing public education monopoly have sought only to protect their turf, engaging in a systematic campaign to vilify charter schools and their supporters.