 These include lowering class size in schools with a large population of minority students; expanding access to high-quality preschool programs to minority families; and focus on teaching the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are necessary to retain high-level information.In the United States there are now 5,042 charter schools serving 1.5 million students in 39 states and Washington, D.C.Although they serve only a fraction of the nation's public school students, charter schools have seized a prominent role in education today.