Clearinghouse on Educational Policy and Management College of Education · University of Oregon
	"Search Help" Note that this is a web site search and will not search our databases ("Directory of Organizations", "In-Process Abstracts", the ERIC Database, "Publications").	Trends and Issues: School Choice Abstracts Discussion Links References Resources Revised 2002 Compiled by Margaret Hadderman, research analyst. Stuart Smith also contributed to this report. This longer discussion includes the sections listed below. To navigate through the discussion, use the links below to focus on the section of interest or use the Previous/Next buttons to go through each section in order. Introduction The Prevalence of Choice The School-Choice Debate School-Choice Options Intrasectional (Public) Choice Plans Magnet Schools Controlled-Choice Options Charter Schools Contract Schools Intersectional Choice Plans Public Voucher Plans Private Voucher and Scholarship Plans Homeschooling Virtual Schools Alternative Schools Conclusions and Policy Implications References Introduction Since the late 1980s, school choice has become a popular, if controversial strategy for reforming American education and equalizing educational opportunities. Parents who select the school their child attends have various reasons for doing so, "including academic, religious, or moral environment and convenience" (National Center for Educational Statistics 1997). Although research suggests that most parents, if given a choice, would prefer their neighborhood schools (Rose and Gallup 1999), the school-choice movement is gaining momentum. The Prevalence of Choice Currently, thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have charter-school legislation. Publicly supported voucher programs are operating in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and some rural Vermont and New Hampshire counties; at least thirty-one cities are offering privately supported vouchers or scholarships to needy students (Miller 1999). Additionally, more parents are home-schooling their children, and a growing number of for-profit companies are contracting with public school districts to manage instructional services and entire schools. By the early 1990s, school choice was serving a wide spectrum of income and minority groups, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (1997). In 1993, 20 percent of students in grades 3 to 12 were enrolled in schools chosen by their parents; 11 percent attended public schools and 9 percent attended private schools. Also, 39 percent of parents whose children attended assigned schools claimed their choice of residence was influenced by school-quality considerations. Higher family income, according to this report, enhanced both public- and private-school choice. Although students from affluent families were more likely to attend a chosen school than those from poor families, black students were more likely than whites to attend a school selected by their parents. Of these students, blacks were more likely to attend a public school than whites. Parents whose children were enrolled in chosen private or public schools were more likely to be satisfied with these schools' programs than were parents whose children attended assigned public schools (National Center for Education Statistics 1997). According to a 1999 NCES survey of parents with school-age children, about 25 percent of K-12 students were not attending neighborhood schools during the 1999-2000 academic year (Schnaiberg 1999). Between 1993 and 1996, the number of K-12 students attending some form of public-choice school grew by 1.4 million, from 5.3 million to 6.7 million. Public-choice students composed 13 percent of all enrollments. Private-school enrollment grew by 800,000, from 4.4 million to 5.2 million students, and composed 10 percent of all enrollments (Schnaiberg 1999). During the 1999-2000 school year, public-choice enrollment is expected to reach 15 percent of all enrollment, with private-school enrollment staying at 10 percent (Schnaiberg 1999). The School-Choice Debate The national debate over school choice has stimulated both a discussion about the best way to improve schools and a philosophical conversation concerning values, identity, and freedom (Cookson 1992). One reason school choice is so controversial is that it addresses a traditional American dilemma: What is the correct balance between individual/family freedom and the rights of the community? The issue centers on defining the nature of the relationship between a government and its people and asks how a (democratic) government should fulfill a generally accepted responsibility. Should the marketplace be used in pursuit of a common public goal—education of a citizenry? School choice is not new to American education. Many Catholic families long ago abandoned secular schools, and wealthy parents have traditionally sent their children to private prep schools. Choice is also manifest in parents' residential choices, their selection of day-care facilities, and their use of knowledge and social connections to secure certain teachers or programs for their children. In all cases, "choices are shaped by the wealth, ethnicity, and social status of parents and their neighborhoods" (Elmore and Fuller 1996). School-Choice Options As the remaining sections show, choice cannot be easily contained in any one policy, proposal, or format. There are many choice options, and there is considerable disagreement about which forms are best or most appropriate. Discussion focuses on recent developments in (1) intrasectional choice (forms excluding private schools): magnet schools, intra- and inter-district controlled-choice plans, charter schools, and contracted schools; (2) intersectional choice (forms including private schools): vouchers, tax credits, and scholarships; (3) alternative schools; and (4) home schooling.