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 mark, and that implementation requires safeguards that the program does not contain. Supporters of choice argue that it will: (1) empower low-income and minority families; (2) allow competitive and free-market principles to force educational improvement; (3) offer a low-cost solution to problems of the educational system; and (4) incite schools to change to meet community needs. Opponents contend that choice would: (1) infringe on desegregation efforts; (2) deplete financial resources for public schools through vouchers spent at private schools; (3) not allow for adequate transportation for real choice; (4) make informed choice difficult or impossible for limited-English-proficient or poorly educated parents; and (5) not provide for change in poor schools. Policymakers and educators have prepared a list of 13 criteria a choice plan must meet. Definitions of terms used in the choice arguments are listed, and the bills offered in America 2000 and by Senator E. Kennedy are contrasted. (SLD)