2.       Bomotti, Sally. Pondering the Complexities of School Choice. Phi Delta Kappan, v80 n4 p313-16 Dec 1998.

Discusses findings of two studies conducted in the Prouder District in Fort Collins, Colorado, which had experienced rapid implementations of in-district choice, a school-within-a-school, several public alternative schools, and a charter school.  Debate rages over relationships between public schools and their communities, school choice and academic standards, control of resources, and equity issues.  

  3.       Bosetti, Lynn. Alberta Charter Schools: Paradox and Promises. Alberta Journal of Educational Research,  v.46(2) Summ'00 pg 179-190. Bibliography.

Examines  the role of charter schools in educational reform in the Alberta context and argues that the real promise of charter schools resides less in fostering innovation and efficiency in public education, and more in providing schools of choice for parents and in addressing diverse values and goals of education.  

  4.       Brandt, Ronald S.  No One Best Way--But Many Very Good Ways. Paper presented at the Annual Conference and Exhibit of the Association for    Supervision and Curriculum Development (54th, San Francisco, CA, March 6-9, 1999). 1999, 8p.  
ED430732     

Noting that variety in education may be seen as a basic mechanism for change, this paper examines four important developments in public education: (1) site-based decision making; (2) charter schools; (3) whole school designs; and (4) parent choice. The paper maintains that site-based decision making should involve giving schools authority and responsibility for solving their own problems and then leading them to improve rather than just leaving schools alone to solve their problems.  The paper further notes that although the growth of charter schools illustrates the potential for future entrepreneurs' efforts in education, there probably will not be any entirely new models of education invented.  The paper advocates whole school programming, or comprehensive school reform, and describes examples of successful implementation of externally-developed and designed school programs.  Also noted is the importance of careful evaluation to determine if such programs produce results, and concern that the leadership and support needed to successfully implement educational models may be underestimated.  Finally, the paper suggests that some degree of choice is an essential part of the emerging model of schooling and that parent choice is necessary with greater variety of educational models.  The paper also maintains that education can be successful only when parents and teachers share a common philosophy, and advocates the development of a model moderating individual choice by limiting available choices to those approved by a responsible public agency. A recommendation for working toward deliberate educational variety concludes the paper. 

  5.       Brighouse, Harry. Two Philosophical Errors Concerning School Choice. Oxford Review of Education, v23 n4 p503-10 Dec 1997.

Argues, in contrast to David Hargreaves, that libertarianism implies a mild presumption against school choice, and that notions of common good are significant to educational decision making only when deciding between sets of institutions that perform equally well at delivering their obligations.  Links these issues to questions about school choice.   

6.       Dei, George J; Karumanchery, Leeno L . School Reforms in Ontario: the Marketization of Education and the Resulting Silence on Equity. Alberta Journal of Educational Research,  v.45(2) Summ'99 pg 111-131.      Bibliography.  

Today fiscally conservative governments have forced many communities to face reforms that undermine public schooling. In the current theoretical discussions and practices of  “school effectiveness and improvement”, issues of social justice and equity have become peripheral, deepening even further existing inequities. In this article authors are advocating for and suggest possible ways of incorporating equity issues into policies and practices of educational change in Ontario.  

7.       Froese-Germain, Bernie. Market-Based Education Reform: Lessons for Canada. ATA Magazine,  v.80(2) Spr'00 pg 25-30. Illustrations.

Market-based approaches to reforming education are a growing international trend. Advocates of what has come to be known as ``school choice'' view education as a product or commodity, and parents and students as consumers of that commodity. Despite having been widely implemented and enjoying broad political support, choice is not founded on research that supports claims for its success.  

8.       Froese-Germain, Bernie.  What We Know about School Choice. Education Canada, v38 n3 p22-25 Fall 1998.  

School choice is a market-driven reform in which schools compete for students. Discusses characteristics of choice and lessons drawn from the international experience: increased segregation, unimproved learning, low participation, parental criteria, inequity, lack of options, administrative emphasis on management, and right-wing support.  Describes the Alberta (Canada) experience with charter schools.  Concludes that research must guide school-choice policies. 

9.       Hadderman, Margaret. Educational Vouchers. ERIC Digest, Number 137.ERIC clearinghouse on Educational Management.(SJJ69850) 2000, 3p.  
ED442194  

Educational vouchers are the most controversial of numerous school-choice alternatives.  This ERIC Digest provides some background on the topic and discusses the support that educational vouchers has received, as well as arguments for and against vouchers.  The digest supplies information concerning the degree of success for voucher programs and cites some studies that found consistent, generally positive results regarding inclusion of low-income families, parent satisfaction, parent education levels, parent marital status and family size, race-ethnicity, and attrition and mobility.  Findings were inconclusive or inconsistent regarding student achievement and parental involvement.  Two final sections discuss the constitutionality of publicly financed voucher plans and major policy issues and recommendations.  Vouchers may be constitutional in some states, but not in others. During the past decade, the High Court appears to have become more willing to allow  state aid to flow to sectarian schools.  Major policy issues include voucher plan effects on private schools, accountability, and program quality. 

10.   Hardy, Lawrence. Public School Choice.   American School Board Journal, v187 n2 p22-26 Feb 2000.  

Currently 15 percent of K-12 students attend public schools of choice, including charter, magnet, and controlled-choice schools.  Support for choice is growing, but a recent report says 81 percent of adults surveyed know little about charters or vouchers.  Profiles of successful choice schools are presented.  

11.   Margonis, Frank; Parker, Laurence. Choice: The Route to Community Control? Theory into Practice, v38 n4 p203-208 Aut 1999.  

While school choice offers inner-city parents a means of educating their children well, it represents further deterioration of society's commitment to educating all students.  This paper describes: the push for private school choice; parent choice in context (historical context and failures of desegregation); and segregationist strategies and choice, noting politics of school choice and discussing choice, democracy, and schools.  

12.   Murphy, Dan. Vouchers and the Accountability Dilemma: An AFT Policy Brief. American Educator, v23 n1 p29-37 Spr 1999.

Documents and explores three facts about the role of private schools and considers the implications of various approaches to the issue of accountability of private schools for the use of public funds.  Describes difficulties posed by the probable regulation of private schools receiving public funds.   

13.   School Choice.  Education Commission of the States. Denver, CO. The Progress of Education Reform 1999-2001, v1 May 1999,  9p.  
ED434390     

This publication is the first in a series of reports that examine policy issues in education.  It looks at the four major forms of school choice; charter schools, open enrollment, home schooling, and vouchers, and how they are changing the landscape of public education.  School choice is one of the fastest-growing innovations in public education, with nearly 1 in 10 American public-school students participating in some form of choice.  The report describes how charter schools are becoming increasingly popular throughout the U.S. and how states are meeting demand for these schools.  It looks at open enrollment, which allows parents to choose where their children receive their education, and provides a brief history of this practice.  An overview of home schooling includes the racial composition of home schoolers and the number of home schooled students.  The report discusses voucher programs, which enable parents to send their children to any school of their choice, and outlines why this practice is so controversial.  The text closes with the observation that school choice depends on good policy, and it comments on the ground swell of support of school choice.  Sidebars in the article offer further information, such as a list of resources that includes Web sites.  

14.   Sianjina, Rayton R. Parental Choice, School Vouchers, and Separation of Church and State: Legal    Implications.  Educational Forum, v63 n2 p108-12 Win 1999.  

Reviews claims of proponents of school vouchers; addresses issues of constitutionality and separation of church and state. 

15.   Stevenson, Kenneth R.Privatization of Public Education: Panacea or Pandora's Box? School Business Affairs, v65 n11 p14-17 Nov 1999.  

The drive for privatizing public education comes from two different movements: load-shedding and outsourcing.  Districts hope to reduce perceived labor problems, avoid managing "uninteresting" services, save money, and/or buy quick-fix education reform.  Privatization of charter schools is becoming big business, but its cost-effectiveness remains unproven.  

16.   Weaver, Tyler.  Controlled Choice: An Alternative School Choice Plan. ERIC Digest, Number 70.     ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, Eugene,    OR.(SJJ69850), 1992, 3p. ED344342

Controlled school choice attempts to provide choice while maintaining ethnic and racial integration.  The following elements are found in most controlled-choice plans: (1) any program that is successful in one zone must be replicated in all the other zones; (2) parent information centers are available to help parents make educated choices; (3) low-performing and unpopular schools are assisted in their efforts to improve; and (4) clear assignment criteria are utilized to avoid subjective and unfair assignments.  Most controlled-choice districts assign about 75 percent of students to their first choice, and 10 percent to their second choice. Evidence from Cambridge, Massachusetts, indicates that controlled choice has been improving educational quality.  

17.   Wells, Amy Stuart. Public School Choice: Issues and Concerns for Urban Educators. ERIC/CUE Digest No. 63. ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, New York, NY.(BBB00899), 1990, 5p. ED322275   

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 students with the fewest resources will not be shut out of the best schools.  Reasons for the political appeal of choice plans include the following: (1) low-income and minority families can avoid poorly run and overcrowded urban schools; (2) free market, competitive principles are infused into a sluggish public education system; (3) individual families have more control over which schools their children attend and what services are provided; (4) a low-cost solution to problems in public education is provided; (5) pupil needs are better matched to school offerings; and (6) parent involvement may be increased.  However, critics argue that many programs discriminate against poor and minority parents who are less informed about how the educational system works or are too overwhelmed with day-to-day survival to research the various educational options.  There is a dearth of well-documented research on how school choice programs affect either academic achievement or educational opportunities.  The following variations in choice programs are outlined: (1) controlled choice; (2) magnet schools; and (3) interdistrict and open enrollment.  Recommendations for more equitable programs consist of the following suggestions: (1) a clear goal statement; (2) outreach to, and information and counseling for parents; (3) a fair, unrestrictive, noncompetitive, and equitable admissions procedure; and (4) provision of adequate transportation for students.   

18.   Woods, Philip A.; Bagley, Carl. Do School Markets Serve the Public Interest? More Lessons from England. Educational Administration Quarterly, v36 n2 p309-23 Apr 2000.  

Philip Woods and Carl Bagley's "School Choice and Competition" (Routledge 1998) evaluates the viability of allowing parents to choose the school their children attend within a decentralized, market environment.  Despite methodological shortcomings, the authors argue effectively for schools' resistance to "competitive" social targeting and/or discriminatory admissions.   

19.   Wronkovich, Michael; Robinson, James; Hess, Caryl A. School Choice Options: Why Do Students Make Choices? NASSP Bulletin, v82 n599 p93-104 Sep 1998.  

A survey of students at three Ohio high schools explored reasons for movement to other schools through state-legislated open-enrollment provisions.  Response analysis identified five trends: students with unmet expectations, students with fulfilled expectations, students seeking safety, students desiring to stay at their "home school," and students with reservations concerning choice made.