Historically, debates about educational choice have wrestled with big, unresolved tensions that lie at the heart of American life, having to do with individual rights, community obligations, public and private interests, religious freedoms, and more. But in recent years, school reformers have tended to talk about choice as though it referred only…

Recent headlines describing the national drop in public school enrollment suggest that this is a shocking crisis brought on or worsened by the pandemic. However, Abbie Cohen argues that the current enrollment decline should not be a surprise. The underlying causes have festered for decades. Among these causes is the tension between the different…

The latest wave of reform in urban schools, led by the venture philanthropists, has made a great deal of change, without much progress. Foundations with a venture philanthropy bent, like the Walton Family Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and the Broad Foundation, say market principles, such as choice and competition, will improve schools. If…

Outlines the benefits individual students experience at the Alternative Learning Center in Evergreen, Washington. An important element in the successful operation of a school of choice is the admissions procedure. To provide a clear and informed decision in school choice this school's admission procedure includes information, screening, and…

Inner-city schools are plagued with problems, including huge central bureaucracies; dumbed-down, irrelevant curricula; scant resources to provide well-compensated teachers, supplies, smaller classes, and social workers; and de facto segregation. Transformative choice, operating on free market principles, is breaking up bureaucracies, demanding the…

Shows how a grassroots, interracial coalition is working to restructure Chicago Public Schools. Under the new Illinois legislation, Chicago's present school board will be disbanded, teachers will be hired by merit, principals will lack tenure, and education rebates to facilitate school choice may be available. Includes three references. (MLH)

Central Park East school was founded in 1974 in Harlem (NY) as an alternative elementary school within the public inner city school system. In 1984 it had expanded into three elementary alternative schools and added a fourth secondary school. It is considered a progressive school following in the tradition of New York city's private schools. (MD)

At this point in his long and varied career in public education, Joe Nathan, the author of this article is beginning to doubt some of his previous stances about the principles under which public schools should operate. He remains, however, a staunch supporter of public charter schools. As he reads Frederick Hess' argument that we need to…

Argues that we must stop our crisis-oriented approach to urban education, sets forth three major goals for urban schools, and lists six policy guidelines for the future. (Author/WD)

Universal school choice would strongly benefit all children, including the disadvantaged, by promoting candid and demanding relationships among teachers, parents, and students. So concludes the author's study of a privately funded voucher program, the Student-Sponsor Partnership Program in New York City. Individual sponsors pay tuition for…