This week on Smart City: Both Barack Obama and John McCain embrace the idea of publicly financed, independently run charter schools as a way to reform the education system. But what is a charter school, and how do they differ from traditional public schools? Our guest, Nelson Smith knows a lot about it. He's the President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and he joins us today to talk about what charter schools are and what they need to work.

Plus: they say all politics is local. But how political is the food you eat? Smart City Producer Scotty Iseri found out when he attended the at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He'll find out how delicious it can be when the food you eat comes from near by.

Plus, check out some pictures of the food from the Eat Local Event.