Despite unfavorable publicity concerning public education's performance, 42 percent of Gallup Poll respondents give the schools in their community an A or B, and 33 percent assign them a C. Only 5 percent feel that schools are failing. Parents of public school students rate the schools even higher. Half of those surveyed would pay higher taxes to…

Describes the importance of and events that occur during the annual School Choice Day, which seeks to heighten awareness of school choice among parents and the public. School Choice Day is especially valuable in teaching students democratic principles, such as the value of getting involved in the political processes and in standing up for what…

Ponders Americans' disenchantment with politics. Presents essays outlining presidential candidates Bill Clinton's and Bob Dole's plans for education. Clinton/Gore campaigners stress the President's achievements (expanding Head Start) and plans to encourage charter schools, fight truancy, and increase college access. Decrying Clinton's friendship…

Community schools arose in Texas in opposition to a post-Civil War centralized school system. Emphasis on parental control, minimal regulation, and funding similar to vouchers echo today's issues about school choice. Their history provides lessons for current school reform efforts. (SK)

The May 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision came in the midst of a national preoccupation with taking care of very young baby boomers. There was a focus on the cheapest way to staff classrooms; build schools; get textbooks and other resources to students and teachers. The desegregation of schools proceeded with about the same level of…

This article asserts that in preparing the youth for tomorrow, one of the educators' preoccupations should be helping them learn to make effective, responsible, intelligent choices. Though educators see the importance of choice in relation to student behavior and classroom management, there is little evidence they have considered choice in…

Perhaps no school reform has generated as much interest and controversy in recent years as the proposal to have parents select their children's schools. Opponents of school choice fear that rolling back the government's role will lead to profit-driven financial scandals, sectarianism, and increased class and racial isolation. School choice…

Five sister reports published by the Friedman Foundation over the past two years have ignored the relevant research literature in asserting that private-school voucher programs can reduce the social costs of dropping out while increasing graduation rates. The reports are state-specific, targeting five different states. But each report follows a…

Americans both care about their schools and want them to improve. Though adults give the nation's public schools only mediocre grades, they are willing to invest more money in public education and they are reasonably confident that doing so will improve student learning. They are also open to a host of school reforms ranging from high-stakes…

This report presents the testimony of the president and program director of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Based in Washington, DC and in Dayton, the Institute is a nonprofit organization that supports research, publications, and action projects of national significance in elementary/secondary reform, as well as significant education reform…

School choice proponents share a recognition that the institution of public schooling is not living up to our ideals of public education. Despite that shared recognition, a diverse and sometimes conflicting set of policies are championed. The purpose of this paper is to improve the movement's prospects for success by identifying the precise points…

In the international discussion about expanding parental choice and the private delivery of education, the Dutch arrangement is regarded quite often as a "unique" system. This paper discusses the features of the Dutch arrangement as a variation of comparable schemes within the European Union, whereby parents can make a real choice among…

Intradistrict programs that allow parents to consider different neighborhood schools are desirable. However, choice programs that encourage a wide spectrum of specialty schools (mostly magnet, charter, and custom-designed schools) represent a serious threat to the core (democratic) purpose of public education. Neighborhood schools will be at the…

Some recent articles argue that the key to public education reform is exposure to market pressures. This article suggests that market forces shape the demand for, and the politics of, U.S. education. Market processes and pressures must bear substantial responsibility for the condition of U.S. schools and the problems afflicting them. (117…

Describes and asserts that some of the foundational principles of education of the last century are likely to be transformed or abandoned, including: complete separation of the family from the educational process; pupil as a normal, passive, and standardized learner; nearly complete isolation of the school from other public communities; free and…