This book offers step-by-step advice for parents on how to choose among available schools for their children. It identifies factors to consider in making the choice, and it offers information on options for parents who do not like any of the available schools, including teaching children at home and working to create new options. After an introductory discussion of why parents should choose their child's school, an overview is provided of the kinds of schools available: neighborhood public schools, public "schools of choice" (magnet schools), other public schools, and parochial or private schools. The middle section of the paper provides advice on each of four steps in choosing a school: (1) thinking about the child in relation to the family and community; (2) collecting information on available schools; (3) visiting a school; and (4) gaining admission for a child into a selected private or public school. Subsequent chapters address when to think about changing schools again and what to do if there are no good schools. The latter options include home schooling, early college for a teenager, and working to change the system. Appended is a checklist for investigating and evaluating schools, along with a set of references and additional sources of information. (TE)