The "Washington K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research Incorporated (BRI), measures Washington registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report…

Many U.S. states provide public funding for charter schools--deregulated and privately managed schools operating in direct competition with government-run schools. While the impact of charter schools on student achievement and sorting has been intensely studied, less is known about the demand for these alternatives. Using precinct-level returns…

Decentralization has been a popular theme in school districts for a long time. Indeed, most districts claim that they are decentralized, having latched onto the "site-based management" movement of the 1980s. Superintendents and central-office personnel point to their local school councils, staffed by parents, teachers, and school…

Surveys school superintendents in Washington State for their views on interdistrict school choice and their perceptions of its advantages and disadvantages. Replies of 98 superintendents generally do not support interdistrict choice, although superintendents in districts with higher dropout rates tend to be more supportive. (SLD)

This is the second annual report from the National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) at the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education. Like last year's debut edition of Hopes, Fears, & Reality, the 2006 volume explores some of the most current and controversial issues facing the charter school movement. This…

Home school families in Washington were surveyed, and achievement test scores were analyzed to determine the following: (1) characteristics of home school families; (2) previous schooling and reasons for home schooling; and (3) effects of selected variables on student outcomes. (BJV)