Author feels that pressure groups should lobby for general improvements rather than help articulate middle-class parents to get their children into the "best" school around. (Author)

American schools, despite recent education reform measures, still fail to provide many of our nation's children with the education that they need and deserve. In conjunction with the other changes, programs of choice can play a central and critical role in improving America's schools. This booklet, divided into two sections, reports on the…

REPORTED ARE SOME OF THE ACADEMIC EFFECTS OF THE OPTIONAL TRANSFER PLAN IN NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, WHERE STUDENTS FROM A NEGRO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WERE BUSED TO OTHER SCHOOLS. METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES OF TRANSFER STUDENTS IN GRADES ONE THROUGH FIVE SHOWED THAT THE MEAN GRADE EQUIVALENTS WERE CONSISTENT WITH GROWTH SCORES FOR NONTRANSFER…

Major arguments, both pro and con, for applying the "schools of choice" approach to educational improvement in Detroit (Michigan) are described, and the results of a recent public opinion survey are reported. The main argument of proponents of school choice is that it will improve the quality of public education. Opponents of choice do…

Existing choice plans, which allow parents and students to choose among a variety of schools, vary dramatically in size, shape, and purpose. Different types of choice programs have different impacts, especially on low-income and minority group students; and it is not yet clear how school choice programs should be structured to assure that those…

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…

Although schools have increased influence over the social-psychological development of youth, they do not provide diversity in nonacademic domains. In addition, the apparent diversity among institutions is of little value because institutions are not located or administered in such a way that individuals can choose freely between them.…

Described in this report are the problems faced by the St. Louis public schools. Financing difficulties, the poverty of about 70 percent of public school pupils, the inadequacy of state aid, the shortage of well-qualified teachers, the exodus of whites to the suburbs, and the concentration of Negroes in the inner city are some of the issues which…