California state law requires a sponsoring agency to determine whether charter schools nearing the end of their term should have their charters renewed. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was one of the first to grant charter school status, and consequently among the first to renew school charters. The district contracted with WestEd, a nonprofit research, development and service agency, to conduct an evaluation of 13 of the district's operating charter schools (elementary, middle, and high school levels) with an emphasis on the schools whose charter terms were nearing an end. The 5-month evaluation was designed to provide one piece of information that could be brought to bear on the board's renewal decisions. This brief provides a description of LAUSD's charter schools, types of charter school sponsorship, and information regarding such problems as liaison between school and district, interaction between charter and other schools, performance goals and accountability systems, and how districts can work better with charter schools. (Contains 11 references.) (DFR)