Two recent reports contend that the introduction of school choice can promote economic development in economically distressed urban areas. The first report, published by EdChoice, presents a case study of a charter school that has, according to the report, contributed to the economic development of the city of Santa Ana, California. The second…

If one intends to speculate about the effects of the bursting of the higher education bubble, one can gain some insight by examining universities that are already shrinking. The University of California (UC) system's state appropriation, for example, has decreased by almost a billion dollars since 2007-2008. In this article, the author talks about…

To date, only two states (Minnesota and California) have passed charter-school legislation. This report presents details from these two states regarding charter-school formation, including roles played by teachers and organizers, by local school boards as sponsors, and by county or state officials in providing an appeals process and technical…

This paper uses the charter-school legislation of three states-Arizona, California, and Michigan--as a lens to understand the policy values embodied in school--choice reforms. It questions the prevailing rubrics of the Center for Education Reform and the American Federation of Teachers. Briefly stated, the former ranks laws as either…

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…

This report is designed to help Pennsylvania policymakers compare two current school reform ideas that are intended to improve student achievement: private school vouchers and class size reduction. It begins with a brief history of educational vouchers, then reviews the achievement effects of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Cleveland, Ohio,…

School choice will not be an issue in 2000 because many parents will have demanded it and public will have rediscovered consumer power as time-honored American way to encourage innovation and improvement. Marysville, Tennessee, schools are good example; nation should watch as California grapples with population challenges. This year, the state…

Most political scientists argue that the term "public policy" encompasses both the actions of government and the intentions that determine those actions. This paper presents an overview of theories about the sources of impetus for policy changes, reviews public policy formation about school choice at the national level and in California,…

The advantages of a voucher system for California's schools are discussed. Desirable consequences of such a system include: (1) equalization of state financial support; (2) financing of religious schools; and (3) parents' ability to choose the school their children will attend. (CJ)

Investigated in this study are the school sorting process (how students are matched with schools, courses, and teachers) and the possible positive effects of mandating that schools disclose how this process occurs. After an introduction, chapters 2 and 3 present findings about the sorting practices in seven California school districts. It was…