School choice, as one avenue toward educational reform, must be placed in context, according to this brief policy analysis. Prepared mainly for policymakers in California and stressing implications for public education in California, the report briefly discusses five samples of school choice: (1) magnet schools; (2) charter schools; (3) open…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined 60 school board members' perceptions of school desegregation and other policies aimed at enhancing the educational attainment of minority groups. Interviews were conducted with school board members in 12 American cities--Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Green Bay,…

This book contends that choice is critical to the process by which parents, students, and teachers can build consensus that allows a community of learning to emerge. It argues that the key to meaningful school choice is a system of tuition vouchers involving nongovernment schools, together with deregulation, which will foster an education that is…

VISION 21 uses community and staff input and the most current thought on reform in education to create the schools Cleveland wants. The full implementation of its plans will result in a quality education for all the city's children. This document provides the framework within which VISION 21 was developed, the planning process used in its…

The purposes of this paper were to report the results of an examination of differential entry into a publicly funded voucher program in Cleveland, Ohio, and to address other issues around the nature of the voucher population. Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions for the academic years 1997-98 through 2000-01: (1) Are…

Data from an Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey of approximately 350 employers were reanalyzed to determine the effects of organization size and geographic location on the implementation of User Choice, which provides public funds to training providers chosen by apprentices and trainees. Among the respondents, 41.1% were small and…

Inner-city schools are currently as separate and unequal as they have ever been. School reform has failed to address the dual system, and it will remain ineffective as long as an unequal and racially divided system operates. Suggestions are given for turning rhetoric to action. (SLD)

This literature review, while not comprehensive, is aimed at informing the Strengthening Local Education Capacity project under way in Indonesia. Strategies that strengthen educational capacities at the school and local levels were reviewed, followed by strategies for local governance. Two school governance models, public choice and public…

This catalog, an outcome of the Project To Access Choice in Education (PACE), lists examples of public schools throughout the nation offering choices in education. "Schools of Choice" are defined as those offering one or more of the following three dynamics: (1) open enrollment, the freedom for families to choose the elementary or secondary…

This paper explores two questions: (1) Do private schools produce greater academic achievement or attainment than public schools? and (2) Does this evidence provide guidance on the potential impact of voucher plans? Based on recent experimental evidence, it finds that Catholic elementary schools have modest effects on the mathematics achievement…

Within the past decade, the British government imposed a national curriculum, embraced open enrollment, and shifted decision-making authority away from the district offices to the schools themselves. This report describes England's scheme of local management and gauges its impact on various aspects of the education service. It also examines…

This report to Congress covers the actions and accomplishments of the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for the period beginning October 1, 2000, and ending September 30, 2002. The first section, titled "Overview of OCR Compliance and Enforcement Program," looks at the Office's organizational structure, complaint…

The expectations of parents of students with disabilities who transferred schools through an open enrollment option were examined in this qualitative study. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents of 18 children and adolescents who transferred their child through Minnesota's open enrollment law. Interviews addressed: the student's history…

The Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Act, enacted by the Minnesota State Legislature in 1985, allows 11th- and 12th-grade high school students to take courses, for credit, in colleges, junior colleges, and vocational-technical institutes despite opposition from high school authorities. Students may use credits from these courses to count toward…

Central government's supply-side expansions of schooling have not equally benefited all members of society, especially girls, indigenous peoples, tribal groups, disadvantaged minorities, and the poor. Public spending on education is often inefficient, higher education is subsidized at primary education's expense, and costs are becoming…