Latinx students now make up the largest share of charter school students nationally. In this article, I focus on Latinx charter school choosers in Houston, Texas, and ask what motivates Latinx parents to exit district schools. Drawing on interviews with 31 families, I find that perceptions of present and future risk motivate charter school choice.…

This article contains transcripts of a panel presentation from the 2013 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative conference, held on September 22, 23, and 24 at the University of Notre Dame. The panelists (Scott Jensen, Doug Tuthill, and Patrick Wolf) discussed current progress around the country in publicly-created, private school choice options…

Susan Ferguson reflects on the Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference of 2013 and the breakout group talk titled "Helping the Church Prepare for and Implement Publicly Funded Programs." The main point of the talk asked: "How Can Catholic Higher Education Help K-12 Catholic Schools and School Systems Prepare for and…

Hypothesizes that a student assignment plan, such as that approved for Boston (Massachusetts), can be an effective method of using school choice to achieve both educational quality and racial balance. Urges the federal government to increase funds for demonstration planning projects and comparative studies to test the plan's effectiveness. (FMW)

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)

Argues that teaching must become a profession--entailing both expertise and relative autonomy--if public schools are to improve. Outlines elements of professionalism and proposes means to professionalize teaching. (MCG)

Considers the general meaning of equal educational opportunity and its meaning in the context of specific policies, with an eye toward providing a philosophically grounded examination of equal educational opportunity as it applies to multicultural education. Describes how progressive liberal educational theory can meet the challenges of…

The claim that public school choice encourages more than standardized education is examined using data for 66 schools from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Little support is found for the argument that choice is currently an inventive way to alter the academic lives of students and teachers. (SLD)