A conversation with Larry Cuban, Professor Emeritus of Education at Stanford University, about two contradictory trends in education: customization and standardization and their effect on the public schools' responsibilities to provide both individual and social benefits. (PKP)

This document presents findings on the impact of privatization to date at a meeting at the Ford Foundation co hosted by the William Penn Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Ford. Increasingly, the private sector (both for-profit and non-profit) is providing resources and alternative delivery models for urban public schools. Beyond…

Poor students and parents in the East Harlem schools of New York City's Community District 4 should have the same opportunity to obtain the benefits of school choice available to the wealthy, who can afford private and parochial schools. Parental choice can provide the catalyst for educational reform by introducing a market mechanism to the public…

As public schools are failing inner-city children, school choice offers a promising solution. This paper presents research that shows how school choice (public, private, or parochial) has a positive effect on minority, inner city children, noting that school choice is the only reform mechanism that would offer schools immediate and measurable…

Discusses the history of schools of choice and their place within the current school reform efforts and Excellence Movement. Asserts that choice is an effective strategy for holding schools accountable for improving conditions for teachers and students and for paving the way for innovation. (CR)

The article reviews the National Governors Association recommendation to allow parents to choose the public schools their children attend. Included are U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett's comments on the recommendations and comments by other concurring educators. The role of school boards as elected representatives of the community is…