Examines the pros and cons of several family-oriented initiatives offered by President Clinton and Senator Bob Dole during their 1996 campaigns. These include tuition tax credits, volunteer tutoring programs, across-the-board tax breaks, and school voucher programs. (HTH)

From zero in 1991 to 3,800 eighteen years later, charter schools (public schools under contract) today educate well over a million students. This updated, second edition examines the unusual experiment that is charter education and the controversies that surround public choice and charter schools as a means of educational reform. Written by…

Policy makers and educators in the U.S. have recently shown considerable interest in the concept of weighted student funding (WSF) as a means of financing primary and secondary schools. WSF appeals both to conservatives, who see it as a way to promote parental choice and school autonomy, and to progressives, who are attracted by the call of extra…

One important aim of social science research is to provide unbiased information that can help guide public policies. However, social science is often construed as politics by other means. Nowhere is the polarized nature of social science research more visible than in the heated debate over charter schools. In "Spin Cycle", noted political…

"Which school should I choose for my child?" For many parents, this question is one of the most important of their lives. "School choice" is a slogan being voiced around the globe, conjuring images of a marketplace with an abundance of educational options. Those promoting educational choice also promise equality, social…

All political scientists who study education policy start their analysis with a similar premise: "educational reform does not take place in political vacuum." Studies of the politics of school choice have focused primarily on state-level political dynamics. This line of research makes sense since the charter school market is initially…

Considerable attention has been paid to the most blatant barriers that public charter schools face. By lobbying against good charter legislation and fair funding, financing anti-charter studies and propaganda, filing lawsuits, and engaging the public battle of ideas, teacher unions and other charter opponents openly wage what might be called an…

This research study explores the policy expansion of school choice within the methodological approach of event history analysis. The first section provides a comparative overview of state adoption of public school choice laws. After creating a statistical portrait of the contemporary landscape for school choice, the authors introduce event history…

Explores how school choice has influenced ethnic segregation in Dutch primary schools. Shows that native Dutch parents are significantly more interested in a match between their social and cultural background and the pupil composition of schools than ethnic minority parents. Both groups of parents generally reject predominately…

Charter schools remain politically controversial in Michigan. The controversy focuses on questions of choice and accountability. Advocates assert that parents should have choices--especially poor parents who otherwise lack good options. Critics argue that charter schools perform no better than regular public schools, or that they are…

Asks whether a public school superintendent should support school choice. Answers that properly structured choice programs, although not a panacea, could improve educational equity and outcomes and deserve a fair chance. (SR)

Promotes and describes the notion of "charter schools" that would be organized by any qualified party, recognized by the state, and open to all comers. (SR)

Reviews recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on school choice. Finds little doubt as to the basic constitutionality of a properly designed choice program. (SR)

Reviews arguments and experiences with school choice. Raises some strong cautions about the implementation of choice programs, questioning whether enhanced parental choice would cure the ills of the public school system. (SR)

School choice programs, which allow students to attend the public or private school of their choice using public funds, have taken root in the U.S. and are growing rapidly both in number and size. Their fiscal impact has become an important political issue. Proponents say school choice saves money because private schooling is more efficient,…