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)

The decisions parents make regarding their children's education are not based solely on the academic quality of the school. Therefore, initiating a parental-choice educational program will not necessarily improve the overall level of education that American children are currently receiving. An area of concern is children who are economically…

Examination of two types of school choice programs in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) reveals that the exercise of choice is a function of the type and design of the choice program. Comparison of the voucher private school and interdistrict public school choice programs (Chapter 220) shows that both are providing additional educational opportunities. (SLD)

A short synopsis of five regional meetings on school choice and follow-up activities is offered in this report. The meetings were held in fall 1989 in East Harlem, New York; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; and Richmond, California. Three sections of the report provide a review of choice activities that…

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 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…

Public "schools of choice" refers to a new trend in educational policy that involves various forms of competition and choice. The initiatives of individual states range from authorizing magnet schools to allowing parents to send children to neighboring school districts. What these programs have in common is that parents, as consumers of…

This study analyzes the establishment of public alternative schools and programs from the perspective of school district management. An alternative school or program is defined as one that is full-time, is available to students on a voluntary basis, and is in some way distinctive from the district's standard program. Chapter 1 is introductory.…

This report chronicles the East Hartford, Connecticut, Parents' Choice Project--an education voucher plan. The plan was intended to dovetail with the school system's already-existing open enrollment policy and was to include the area's private and parochial schools, as well as all the public schools. The feasibility and implementation studies…

A survey was conducted of 82 rural parents of students with disabilities or giftedness on the topic of open enrollment. The survey examined demographic characteristics, sources of information, reasons for transfer, and changes in parental involvement with schools. Most of the rural students with special educational needs who chose to participate…

Studied the extent to which the character of four urban schools became more clearly defined in the interest of communicating with parents and of gaining their adherence to a shared vision of the school. Research efforts of the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning are reported. (SLD)

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 examination of parent choice among public schools in Massachusetts begins with an expanded version of remarks made by C. L. Glenn to the Board of the National Education Association describing the parent choice options available in Massachusetts and the ways in which they have developed. Approximately four of five minority students in…

Explains and analyzes open-enrollment plans, current open-enrollment legislation, and the Omaha (Nebraska) School District's attempt to balance goals of integration and open enrollment. Provides recommendations for educational and legislative reform in the area of public school choice. (198 references) (MLF)

Argues that school choice plans should be limited to public schools. A system of controlled choice overcomes many problems associated with school choice. District 4 of the New York City public schools offers an example of how greater choice for parents has reinvigorated innercity schools. (SLD)