Written for parents, this book answers the following questions: (1) What is preschool about, and what are appropriate parent expectations for the experience? (2) Why should (or shouldn't) a child go to preschool, and what are reasonable alternatives to preschool? (3) When is a child, and a parent, ready for the preschool experience? (4) What are…

This booklet provides a list of questions parents should entertain in assessing and choosing a school for their child. The questions apply to schools in both the public and private system and span the full range of kindergarten through twelfth-grade institutions. They are meant to assist parents in evaluating whether the school is providing a…

A privately funded educational choice model is presented in this document, which is based on the experiences of four privately funded programs in Indianapolis (Indiana), San Antonio (Texas), Milwaukee (Wisconsin), and Atlanta (Georgia). The model is designed to help interested persons or organizations establish a privately funded educational…

This fourth and final guide in a series of volumes addresses parents who desire assistance in selecting the appropriate school for their child. The guide provides narratives and "real life" descriptions of actual occurrences in schools that advertise themselves as emphasizing a particular style or philosophy of teaching or curricular…

This handbook is intended to assist vocational education teachers and guidance counselors in working with parents to reduce sex-role stereotyping in vocational education and employment. Discussed first are recent developments in the area of ensuring equity in vocational education and parent involvement in career decisions. A list of pertinent…

This policy guide draft pulls together information on the types of public school choice plans being implemented or debated across the nation. The guide describes six different kinds of plans that involve a choice among public schools: interdistrict, postsecondary options, second-chance, controlled-choice, teacher-initiated schools, and magnet…

Describes issues and concerns facing students who are deciding on a master's or doctoral program in instructional technology. Factors that students should consider when selecting a graduate program are identified, including admission requirements, course offerings, internships, and funding; and resources that offer information regarding…

Enrollment planning is the basis of all school system planning. Focuses on assessing the impact of a choice plan on student enrollment planning. Issues involved include home schooling, school employees' choice, and private kindergarten programs. Administrators are advised to evaluate existing forecasting methodologies. (MLF)

Charter schools are publicly financed schools that are governed by teachers, parents, administrators, or others who want to create and manage an innovative public school. This document briefly defines charter schools and provides an overview of their history. It also discusses the stance toward charter schools taken by President Clinton, who…

Despite its long history, accountability in education means different things to different people. There is little consensus about how to apply the concept intelligently and creatively in schools. This fastback explores various issues inherent in the concept and practice of accountability, as applied to public education. The issues include…

Although their perspectives differ, this volume's contributors agree that the home schooling movement offers an intriguing critique of traditional education. While nationally publicized school improvement measures call for increased bureaucratization, professionalism, and standardization, a growing number of families are choosing to forego…

A five-step method for evaluating proposed policies for educational reform is suggested and explicated in this booklet. The five steps are as follows: (1) to identify the problems toward which reforms are directed, (2) to identify the policies designed to address each problem, (3) to identify assumptions about the problems and the proposed…

This handbook includes general information about factors to consider when selecting a trade and technical school and detailed information about the program offerings of all of the private technical schools that were accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools as of September 1, 1987.…

This primer explains school choice, historically reviewing the origins and growth of tax-funded schools nationwide and how they became synonymous with public education. It examines the rise of government-funded and operated schools in Michigan through the efforts of Isaac Crary and John Pierce and describes the negative effects of a 1970 state…

Suggesting that all Americans join together in the effort to educate children, this paper presents 1-page "tip sheets" (on 8 separate topics in education) that provide tips for what families, schools, businesses, colleges, and community groups can do to meet the challenges facing American education. Each tip sheet presents background…