Policymakers are considering ways of providing more opportunities for students and their parents to exercise choice in public education. This report provides background information on current public school choice programs and proposals, and an analysis of selected issues related to this topic. The first part of the paper presents background…

The question of whether school choice improves student outcomes persists. This digest explores issues surrounding school choice, highlighting major research findings. Overall, the ultimate impact of choice depends on how parents and schools respond to more schooling options and greater competition. Research indicates that greater parental…

Outlines the principles underlying the development of alternative schools in Community School District Four in New York (New York). Emphasizes the importance of the involvement of students, parents and professional staff in decision-making. (FMW)

Examines the extent to which parents get their children into the schools they choose by studying assignment of 38,700 students in the Boston (Massachusetts) schools. The majority (88.6 percent) received their first-choice school assignments, and 3.8 percent received an assignment for which no request had been made. (SLD)

This is the second annual report from the National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) at the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education. Like last year's debut edition of Hopes, Fears, & Reality, the 2006 volume explores some of the most current and controversial issues facing the charter school movement. This…

As of September 1995, a total of 19 states had passed charter school legislation and 226 charter schools were operating. This document presents an overview of state legislation and describes the status of charter schools in operation in the United States. Chapter 1 provides background information on charter schools--a discussion of trends leading…

This book presents a summary of school-choice issues, and is organized around a 1992 seminar entitled "Choice: What Role in American Education?" Each part presents a set of conference papers, followed by discussants' remarks and excerpts from audience discussion. The introduction summarizes the papers' positions and conclusions. Participants…

Controlled educational choice, defined as parental or student choice of educational programs within the public school system that is regulated for public purposes, has become a leading proposal for educational reform. This paper reviews evidence from three working models of choice: the Minnesota Postsecondary Enrollment Options program (PEO), the…

This paper describes a program that has evolved in District No. 4 in the East Harlem area of Manhattan (New York). There, a system of "choice" at the junior high school level is possible due in part to the latitude afforded local school districts under the current decentralized system of authority. The program permits students and…

This evaluation of the first-year elementary school implementation of Boston's pilot "controlled choice" student assignment plan found that very little had been accomplished in planning for school improvement and that future desegregation compliance hinges on key decisions about secondary and bilingual education, and the empowerment of…

The members of this task force examined ways states could encourage greater parental involvement in, and choice among, public schools. Following a list of the charges to the task force and information on the hearings and presenters, five papers are presented: (1) "Expanding Educational Opportunity and Choice" (Cindy K. Currence); (2)…

This Third Edition of the 1985 report, "Dialogue for Change," discusses options and examples of educational choice and teacher empowerment and summarizes developments between 1985 and 1987. The following key options are discussed in Chapter 1, "Proposed Options for Change": (1) magnet schools; (2) open enrollment; (3) purchase…

This paper reviews the history of family choice opportunities in public schools. It offers detailed examinations of the several choice models that have proved widespread: (1) open enrollment plans; (2) magnet schools; (3) schools within schools; (4) satellites and separate alternatives; and (5) interdistrict choice plans. (Author/LMO)

This paper focuses on how charter schools offer new opportunities for student achievement, parent participation in school governance, and teacher empowerment and freedom. Public charter schools are independent public schools that ensure accountability, offer choices, involve parents, and encourage innovation. The paper describes myths about…

The universal education credit can ease the financial burdens placed on families seeking independent primary and secondary education for their children. This analysis explains how the universal education credit differs from other educational choice reforms, including vouchers and how it works with real families. The way in which state legislators…