This document discusses issues related to the historical development of school choice and its impact today. Over the past 2 decades, 9 states have adopted publicly funded voucher or tax credit programs, 40 states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school laws, and others have established public school choice within and between school districts. Momentum is building. But despite these programs and the work of private philanthropy, too many children remain in failing schools. While the nation spends more than $422 billion each year on elementary and secondary education, over half of the nation's low-income fourth grade students cannot read at a basic level. The document concludes that no one school can serve all students equally well. Ultimately, school choice is about enabling all parents to enroll their children in the schools--public, public charter, private, or home schools--that best meet their individual needs. School choice maximizes the benefits of America's sizable investment in education to ensure that all children have an opportunity to succeed. The following sections are inlcuded in this document: (1) The Rise of Voucher Programs; (2) The Development of Charter Schools; (3) Home Schooling; (4) Tax Incentives for School Choice; (5) Legal Challenges to Choice Programs; (6) The Post-"Zelman" Legal Era; (7) Privately Financed Voucher Programs; (8) Recent Developments in School Choice; and (9) Conclusion. (Contains 101 footnotes.)