Home-schooling is a growing movement that rejects many practices and premises of public education. District attitudes are softening toward the movement; home-schoolers are increasingly allowed to participate in physical education, music programs, and other courses. Programs in Palm Beach County, Florida, and Des Moines, Iowa, are profiled. (MLH)

Since 1870, the federal government has gathered data about students, teachers, schools, and education funding. The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) annually publishes a statistical report on the status and progress of education in the United States. The "Condition of Education" includes data and…

Educators must open their eyes to the intensity of the anti-public-school efforts by many politicians and business leaders. This book provides a defense against those who innocently attack schools with misinformation and those who disingenuously attack schools with disinformation. A total of 18 chapters address 18 criticisms most commonly leveled…

This study is based on the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988 (NELS:88) sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. NELS:88 is a nationally representative sample of approximately 25,000 eighth graders who were enrolled in public or private school in 1988. About 21,000 students were resurveyed in 1990, a second follow-up…

A description and analysis of the America 2000 educational strategy emphasizes the questions of what children and youths deserve and need in terms of education, and what the process of taking children and youth seriously involves in practice for teachers, administrators, parents, and others. After stressing that America 2000 is a national, rather…

This document contains testimonies and prepared statements from a congressional hearing on educational issues held in Arizona. Statements and testimonies address education reform, school financing, equalization, site-based management, federal programs, vocational education, and American Indian education, among other issues. Included are opening…

This volume offers the analysis and suggestions for reform of leading educational experts on the topic of education in the inner cities. An introduction provides an overview of the problems of American education and a proposed solution: educational choice. The 12 chapters are as follows: (1) "The Public School Monopoly: America's Berlin…

This paper explores issues surrounding parental choice of schools. The administration of President George Bush has presented parental choice as a cornerstone of its proposed "America 2000 Excellence in Education Act." Educational advocates are concerned that emphasis on choice as a key moving force for school reform falls short of the…

As part of the school improvement process, the Springfield Public School (Massachusetts) has involved all constituencies in the community in implementing the Schools of Choice plan. This guidebook was prepared to assist parents and students in determining the best program and schools for their needs and desires. Parents of elementary school…

A program in career linkages was conducted at Project Link Educational Center to bring the students to greater self-awareness in terms of their personal qualities, abilities, interests, and determinations and to express and examine these in relation to their occupational interests and goals. (Project Link Educational Center is a tuition-free,…

Proponents argue that the competition inherent in publicly funded tuition voucher programs will increase school quality and family choice, but voucher systems would be subject to the same forces that shape public schools. The efficiency and effectiveness of voucher plans must be assessed in light of those educational goals important to the…

Several public school choice programs are reviewed, and the model program implemented by the Montclair (New Jersey) Public Schools is evaluated. School choice models include: the regulated voucher system, alternative schools, and magnet schools. The Montclair system is an urban school district that has achieved success in desegregating its schools…

This report analyzes practices and conditions that seek to prevent at-risk behaviors among adolescents. Discussion begins with a description of the developmental tasks that adolescents need to complete before they can assume productive adult roles in society. While two conflicting views of adolescence are noted, the capacity of young people to…

The Atlanta Public Schools (APS) system has magnet programs integrated into the instructional programs of 14 of its high schools. Each program has an instructional coordinator who reports to the principal of the school. Because the APS student body is overwhelmingly black, the programs do not have as a major goal increased racial or ethnic…

The education voucher idea is reviewed and comparisons are made among three existing plans. The basic idea is that the government issues a voucher of monetary value directly to families to pay for education. Existing proposals include the California Coons/Sugarman plan from the 1970's, the Friedman plan, and the Jencks proposal. These plans vary…