Issues in school choice as a method for achieving educational reform are discussed in this booklet. The first part provides a brief historical background of the school choice movement, including an analysis of the issues being debated over the marketplace theories and the general philosophy behind school choice. The second part highlights a few of…

The role of the principal in implementing school choice policy is examined in this paper. Choice policy is viewed as a triad composed of three points--policy, consumer information, and diversity of the learning environment. Guidelines are offered for principals to help parents make school choice decisions, and several helpful booklets are…

Discusses background, rationale, and current trends in school choice. Where implemented carefully with parent participation, choice plans have increased public support and student achievement and provided curriculum differentiation, cohesiveness, autonomy, and small size as benefits. However, school choice raises some equity problems, including…

Early intervention programs provide early stimulation and therapy for young children with disabilities. However, no specific age guidelines have been established for starting early intervention, and the pressure to make an immediate commitment to an early intervention program can overwhelm parents. Program options and decision-making strategies…

Presents and discusses enrollment statistics for nine Massachusetts school systems undergoing desegregation. Focuses on Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, and Cambridge. Describes each system as successfully promoting desegregation through magnet schools and parental choice. (KH)

Describes how a Parent Council and school system administrators collaborated to develop a citywide magnet school desegregation plan, which increased parents' choices and introduced competition among public schools for the patronage of parents and students and for achievement of academic excellence. (RDN)

Educational choice has been found to result in greater satisfaction across schools by social class, race, and prior achievement. However, few studies have attempted to examine stratification effects across choice and non-choice schools by family educational involvement (FEI). Utilizing survey data from the base year of the National Education…

Efforts in school-finance reform in recent years have been directed by court-mandated remedies for equity and adequacy. This report contends that the typical judicial remedy overlooks the fundamental causes of inequities in public education, and the potential for reform through expansion of parental choice. It combines existing data with insights…

During 1994 to 1996, 15 school districts in British Columbia, Canada, received proposals to establish alternative public schools of choice based on the effective school model. These became commonly known as "traditional schools." Most of the proposals were denied, but four elementary schools were in existence by early 1998 and three…

A study was conducted to determine the association among variables representing parent and school demographics, parents' opinions of the school, their reasons for choosing it, and their willingness to support the school in various ways, including the level of tuition they would pay. Data were collected from a stratified sample of 10 high schools…

School choice seeks to create a competitive arena in which public schools will attain academic excellence, encourage individual student performance, and achieve social balance. In debating the feasibility of this market approach to improving school systems, analysts have focused primarily on schools as suppliers of education, but an important…

Examines the thoughts and perceptions of four primary school parents from different social positions, regarding involvement in their children's schooling. Reports that for working-class parents there were less favorable situations in school selection, child rearing, and involvement within schools. (CMK)

Recognizes that consumerist approaches to education are seductive and agrees that choice and standards are positive ingredients of educational provision. However, argues that official writing on school choice is decontextualized, ignoring the impact of social class, gender, and race. Discusses the personal and social impacts of each of these…

Summarizes key issues explored at the Northwest Symposium for Charter School Policy. Issues discussed included accountability and student evaluation, school autonomy, sponsorship and the charter approval process, school choice and parent involvement, equity concerns, opposition from teachers' unions, and startup issues. Sidebar profiles the…

Examination of two types of school choice programs in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) reveals that the exercise of choice is a function of the type and design of the choice program. Comparison of the voucher private school and interdistrict public school choice programs (Chapter 220) shows that both are providing additional educational opportunities. (SLD)