Across from the Park Plaza Hotel stands a building of hope and promise. It is the location of the Renaissance School. a so-called charter school that, like other charter schools in the city and throughout the state, may radically redefine the meaning of public education. Indeed, charter schools may show us the path towards true reform of the Boston Public Schools.

Charter schools are privately organized schools that provide public education. The idea for the Renaissance School, for example, came from a small group of Boston-based educators and education advocates, led by Robert Gaudet of West Roxbury. They proposed to the state that they create a grammar school to be managed by the for-profit Edison Project. Once the state granted the group a charter, it was then free to find space, hire staff and open its doors. For every student the Renaissance School takes it, it receives money from the city equal to the city’s average cost per student in the Boston Public Schools.

Although privately organized and run, charter schools are public schools. Parents and students do not pay tuition. Nor is there any special selection process. Students were selected by lottery—fairly run, as I can personally attest. I applied for my daughter to be admitted to the Renaissance School’s kindergarten class. She was placed on the waiting list, number 253 in line.

But unlike conventional public schools, charter schools make their own rules. They hire their own principals and own staff, determine the length of the school year and the hours of attendance, set their own curricula and in virtually all respects independently engage in running their own schools.

Will the Renaissance School be a good school? Who knows? Perhaps the most interesting thing about charter schools is that they operate much like a business. They compete for students. If a charter school does a good job it will presumably attract students and succeed. If it does a bad job, it will not attract students and will fail.

The City of Boston constantly debates school reform. We argue about the Boston School Committee; should it be elected or appointed? We debate about the budget; it now approaches a half billion dollars a year. We say good-bye to one school superintendent; with cautious optimism, we welcome another.

But does anyone seriously believe that all of this activity will fundamentally change Boston’s schools? Sure, they may improve incrementally. But it is hard to imagine that any of this will fundamentally change the poor perception that the public has of Boston’s public schools.

Charter schools, I think, may show the way to such reform. Rather than a centralized system running all of Boston’s public schools, let us strive to make all of our schools charter schools. Give them all independence. Give them all the freedom to fail and the freedom to succeed.

Imagine a school system of organized solely to educate children. Imagine being able to choose to send your child to schools with widely differing philosophies and curricula. Imagine, if you will, a school system in Boston that was so terrific it attracted people into the city, not drove them out.

I believe that Boston has the resources to have a world class primary and secondary school system. What we need are people like those who organized the Renaissance School and the state’s other charter schools: people with the courage to take risks and the will to make it happen.