Discusses the history of the educational voucher concept and describes three voucher models: the Jencks "regulated compensatory" model, the Friedman "unregulated market" model, and the Coons "Family Power Equalizing" model (more recently called the "Quality Choice" model). (JOW)

Recounts some of the history of attempts to establish magnet and other voluntary, choice-oriented policies in urban school districts. Discusses the elements that must be included in programs established in those districts. (SR)

The notion that there is no template or model for American schools--just guiding principals and a deep respect for individual school culture--informs the work of the Coalition of Essential Schools and the Annenberg Institute founded by Ted Sizer. Today the Coalition is supporting clusters of small schools to help make school choice more…

Community schools arose in Texas in opposition to a post-Civil War centralized school system. Emphasis on parental control, minimal regulation, and funding similar to vouchers echo today's issues about school choice. Their history provides lessons for current school reform efforts. (SK)

Reviews the history and use of educational vouchers in urban schools. Discusses their economic and social impact on the following areas: (1) public schools; (2) educational choice; (3) equal education; and (4) educational quality. Proposes alternatives. (FMW)

Traces the development of Dutch educational policy since the compromise of 1917, by which private and public schools were given equal financial support. Examines the extent to which neoliberal reforms of the 1980s brought about radical changes in the Dutch education system, focusing on increased autonomy, freedom of school choice, privatization,…

After describing the history of the educational voucher movement, this paper briefly discusses the various voucher models that have been proposed and considers some of the issues for and against the establishment of voucher systems. Tracing the voucher concept back to Adam Smith, Thomas Paine, and John Stuart Mill, the author notes that after the…

A system of completely equal treatment of state and religious denominational elementary schools has existed in the Netherlands since 1920 and is firmly rooted in previous centuries of Dutch history. Development of this "pillarized" educational system is traced and discussed in relation to situations in South Africa and in countries with…

The issue of choice in U.S. education is traced historically. Consideration is given to the purposes of publicly supported education and reasons underlying the historic distinction between public and private education. It is suggested that the issue of choice concerns the rights and obligations of the individual and the state. The relationship…

The recent establishment of charter schools in Alberta (Canada) has prompted allegations of a radical change towards privatization by the Progressive Conservative (PC) government. However, policy decisions since the 1970s demonstrate that the PC government has consistently supported private alternatives to public education; charter schools extend…

For more than one hundred years, the United States has been the scene of academic warfare between traditional and progressive educators. During most of the nation's history, many Americans have assumed that the primary purpose of school is to pass on to children the information and skills necessary to survive in society. This traditional view…

The government of Ontario announced in 1984 that it would begin to fund Catholic high schools in 1985. Prior to this announcement, Ontario had operated since the 1800s under a system that provided for the public funding of a dual system of Protestant and Catholic public elementary schools and a single system of nondenominational secondary schools.…

This paper examines the legal and historical background of school choice by American Indian parents and its implications for school choice for a wider public. In the 19th century, American Indian parents had no choice about whether or where their children would be schooled. On many reservations, children were forcibly removed from their parents…

Two years into her first superintendency, Detroit Superintendent Deborah McGriff has advanced an ambitious and controversial urban school reform package. The public school choice plan has been expanded, and 21 schools have adopted school-based-management plans despite union opposition. This fall, the district will abolish the general education…

Examines the history of student recruitment and parental choice among Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, focusing on Rapid City Indian School (South Dakota), 1898-1933. Discusses attitudes of American-Indian parents toward various schools, strategies to keep siblings together, parental influence on schools' competition for students, and the…