The idea behind public charter schools was to develop flexible models of public schools and to incubate innovative ideas that then could be shared with the district's public schools. Today, almost 20 years since the first public charter school opened its doors in Minnesota, one still does not see consistent, productive collaboration and shared innovation between charter schools and district schools. The prevailing district-charter dynamic is characterized by mistrust and missed opportunities. In many cases, there's a zero-sum mindset. Rather than competing to provide the best education opportunities, schools are struggling to control funding, facilities and often innovative ideas. In this article, the author outlines five guiding principles that can lead charters and traditional public schools to create collaborative opportunities that benefit students.