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)

This study examined characteristics of students with disabilities who participated in Minnesota's open enrollment, reasons for participation, information sources, and the decision-making process. Surveys of 347 parents revealed 3 primary reasons for transferring their children: special education needs being better met, more personal attention from…

THIS INTERIM REPORT PRESENTS THE FINDINGS OF A STUDY OF NEGRO VOTING AND NEGRO ATTITUDES TOWARD SCHOOL DESEGREGATION. DATA WERE OBTAINED IN INTERVIEWS WITH 282 MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, NEGRO RESPONDENTS. WITHIN THE SAMPLE, 228 WERE REGISTERED VOTERS, OF WHOM 24 PERCENT REGISTERED AFTER THE DATE OF THE LOCAL ENFORCEMENT OF THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS BILL.…

Argues that the data show that black parents will opt for integration if given the chance, and white parents can be drawn to integrated schools with attractive curricula: Open Enrollment can reasonably be expected to produce significant integration without the political and moral costs of coercion. (Author/JM)

This paper examines the policy implications of school choice opportunites in the public sector, based on a study of the school choice behavior of a group of public school parents residing in areas where they were permitted to choose which of two dissimilar schools their child would attend. Data were gathered through interviews with 48 mothers who…

Ninety-nine parents of students with special needs who participated in Minnesota's 1990-91 open enrollment program responded to a survey item which asked for their comments on their child's participation in the program. Twelve broad topics were identified within the content of these responses: teacher/administration attitudes,…

The extent to which gifted and talented students participated in Minnesota's Open Enrollment Option was investigated via a survey of 26 gifted students who transferred to nonresident schools and comparison of results with those of a survey of 60 students without special needs. Results indicated that academic and educational concerns were some of…

This report focuses on the experience of integration as perceived in the Portland, Oregon, Suburban Transfer Program, which completed its first year of operation in 1969. The voluntary plan buses 98 black students in grades one to six from inner-city schools to suburban districts. Open-ended, indepth interviews were taped with students, parents,…

This article describes a study of enrollment patterns under the Massachusetts open enrollment law as of fall 1992. Results from 33, districts with 20 or more school-choice transfers, show that families generally enroll children in schools with higher indicators of performance and higher socioeconomic status. (SLD)

A survey was conducted of Minnesota families of students with disabilities (n=60) and without disabilities (n=60), and responses were compared to identify practices related to public school choice. Results indicated that the media were the primary source of information for families of general education students, while principals and teachers were…

This study compared students with learning disabilities who participated in open enrollment in Minnesota with their nondisabled peers, in terms of reasons for transfer, source of information about open enrollment, parent involvement with the school, and demographics. The study involved a survey of 59 families of students with learning disabilities…

Originating in the Rand Corporation's evaluation of the voucher demonstration project in the Alum Rock Union School District (California), this study of family choice in schooling focuses on these questions: Are parents motivated and competent to make intelligent choices among competing educational alternatives? What kinds of schools do parents…

Initial studies of school choice in Massachusetts have concentrated on the mechanics of the program, but this report examines why parents choose school choice. A survey of Massachusetts families participating in school choice was completed by 826 families (return rate of 41.8%), representing 987 choice students, or about 23.5% of the estimated…

This report examines the characteristics of students with disabilities who participate in Open Enrollment (one of seven enrollment options available in Minnesota), the reasons they participate, the sources of information, and the decision-making process involved in choosing another district. A survey was conducted of 219 families of students with…

Pioneer Institute recently organized a roundtable in which school officials discussed their experiences with inter-district public school choice. The participants exchanged views on the current state of the choice program in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts inter-district school choice program allows parents to enroll their children at schools in…