Discusses four themes that capture the major opportunities offered by alternative schools and alternative programs as well as some of the problems associated with them. (Author/RK)

All educational thinking springs from three ancient theories: education should provide skills to succeed in society; education should stimulate the search for truth through academic excellence; and education should give students opportunities to develop their potential. But these ideas are incompatible, and mixing them together has created a…

Canada's public schools may be neglecting average students by failing to give them the structure and care their parents think desirable. A "soft" form of school choice, such as British Columbia's traditional schools option, allows greater parental influence. As parents gain more influence in schools, they must take more responsibility…

While fiscal restraint has some negative impact, it provides an opportunity to bring greater order to schooling. The intellectual function of the school is "the perpetuation, transformation, and generation of knowledge grounded in the disciplines." Implicit in this vision of school is rejection of the function of school as socialization. (BRR)