Last week, a coalition of education reform groups filed an initiative to allow public charter schools in Washington.

The coalition including the League of Education Voters, Stand for Children and Democrats for Education Reform has until July 6 to collect nearly 250,000 valid voter signatures.

In my column this morning, I write about the success of public charter schools in improving education in New Orleans.

Seattle isn’t New Orleans; Washington isn’t Louisiana. But we can learn from them. Caroline Roemer Shirley, the head of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, cites three critical factors: accountability, autonomy and choice. With the framework in place, set high standards: “The lower the bar is, the lower we will perform.”

Assuming the measure qualifies for the ballot, this will be the fourth time public charter schools will be before the voters. I close the column this way.

There’s nothing radical about an initiative authorizing just 40 public charter schools. With 5,400 public charter schools serving 2 million students nationally, there’s no shortage of examples of how to get it right. It begins by ending the prohibition.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools celebrates its 20th year next month. Their website is a useful source of information, including this video by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.