In 1996, many states took action to give parents greater control over the education of their children. Many local school boards adopted initiatives to give parents educational choice and the ability to use vouchers to help pay tuition costs at schools of their choice. Over 200 new charter schools opened in 17 states, and an additional 6 states and the District of Columbia enacted charter school laws. As the news about school choice spread, 43 of the nation's governors supported some type of choice in education in 1996. In addition, advocates of publicly funded voucher programs praised the results of two studies of the efficacy of the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) school choice plan. It is probable that 1996 will prove to be the year that paved the way for advances in school choice in 1997 and beyond. This report presents state-by-state analyses that provide snapshots of the status of each state's progress toward school choice and charter schools through December 1996. The state profiles include average enrollments, per pupil expenditures, pupil/teacher ratios, graduation rates, and academic and college test score rankings. Each summary contains information on the state's education statistics, an overview of its educational reform efforts, and an analysis of recent developments in school choice and charter schools, as well as a review of the governor's position on market-based reforms and a list of state and local contacts. (SLD)