Does Obama Promote Charter Schools?

According to Diane Rativich, he does. Rativich is quoted in The Grand Rapids Press column “Head of The Class” by Dave Murry.
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"I find it laughable that so many of his critics call him a socialist and a man of the left, when in education, he is quite obviously a force for privatization of public education," Ravitch wrote.
Charter schools are schools that are that receive public funding but are not under the same restrictions and regulations as traditional schools. They are under a “charter” that has different arrangements for accountability.
Critics of Obama’s Race to The Top education initiative feel it emphasizes charter schools over traditional school formats.
“The emphasis on charter schools in the draft rules drew hundreds of comments over the summer, including a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan from Gov. Bev Perdue of North Carolina, a Democrat, who said her "primary concern is the overall prescriptive nature of the guidelines and the emphasis placed on charter schools as the major tool of innovation."
The final rules repeat the administration's focus on charters as tools for school change. They also invited states to describe "innovative public schools other than charter schools" which are operating in their local districts.”
The New York Times Nov. 12, 2009