HIT THE DRUM is a page-turning narrative that tells the stories of dozens of key individuals who jumped in--before there was a "movement" or a "sector"--to spread the idea and help to launch charter schools. The first charter school law passed in MN in 1991. Today, 44 states plus DC have laws, and more than 7,000 charter schools serve 3.2 million students. HIT THE DRUM explains where the idea of chartering came from and why and how it spread so rapidly. It also looks at how charter school leaders have developed and nurtured other important innovations that have begun to take hold in the field.