Discusses results of a survey of 42 randomly selected parents who had chosen kindergarten programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Respondents' decisions raise concerns about equity and quality and challenge assumptions that parents want choice and will use parent information centers to gather performance data. If choice is introduced without…

A coauthor of "Who Chooses, Who Loses?" (1996) argues that choice does little to desegregate schools or break down ethnic family enclaves. Choice schools are usually founded on publicly financed organizations. Choice appears to increase parental involvement without substantially improving student achievement. Choice schools need clear plans for…

A project based on the 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study showed that students in magnet schools scored higher on science, reading, and social studies tests than did students in comprehensive public high schools. Differences may be due to improved social relationships and/or allocation of additional resources from sponsoring school…

The Baltimore New Compact Schools model offers schools an opportunity to cluster their resources, personnel, and funds. The Hirsch Core Knowledge Curriculum helps all three elementary schools compensate for disadvantaged students' lost learning time. The nonprofit Enterprise Foundation offers schools leadership, management, and technical support.…

The author's experiences as an urban school parent have convinced her that democratic commitments to school equity are central to creating appropriate and fair school choice. Three issues deserve educators' attention: the mixed results of voluntary desegregation programs, political and social agendas affecting public schooling, and the continuing…

An independent study of Baltimore City's Tesseract schools analyzes why the privately managed program failed. Results showed no gains on Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills scores. Baltimore was paying about 11% more per student than in comparison schools. EAI has succeeded in establishing the supremacy of Wednesday afternoons for staff development…

Reviews several privatization strategies and their applications to public education, including load-shedding, asset sales, volunteerism, self-help, user fees, contracting, franchises, vouchers, subsidies, and deregulation. The major forces promoting privatization in education are those stemming from growing discontent with the public sector and…

As state legislators, school boards, and the public at large become more receptive, home-schoolers are gaining access to more resources, including those at public schools. Researchers disagree over home schooling's effects on academic achievement and social development. Home schooling could be an important resource for studying how children learn…

The Des Moines (Iowa) Public School System was one of the first to offer a cooperative home-school experience for interested parents. The district's Home Instruction Program, which now serves 310 students from 165 families, offers parents several choices regarding curricula, type of assistance, evaluation method, and dual (part-time) enrollment…

A parent and communications professor describes his family's long-standing participation in home schooling, highlighting efforts to provide socialization and service education, uphold academic standards, and integrate learning activities into everyday life. Home schooling is a labor of love. Children benefit from experiencing the focused attention…

Not all home schoolers are politically conservative, suspicious of public education, or separatists. The Holtrop family's home-schooling philosophy stresses what is best for individual learners. They prioritize objectives like love of learning, critical thinking, integrated subject areas, learning through life experiences, and development of…

In response to stagnating economic conditions, the Swedish government introduced numerous "reforms," including a voucher scheme for approved independent schools. Since 1992, enrollments in independent schools have increased only 1%, segregation and interschool disparities have increased, and supports for special-needs children have deteriorated.…

Following the Oklahoma City bombing, fifth graders at a nearby elementary school coped with ensuing uncertainty, pain, and loss. They wrote appreciative letters to fire and rescue workers; shared personal stories with classmates; compiled an anthology of poems, prayers, and stories; attended an assembly to honor parents participating in rescue…

During the past three years, staff at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy have developed a partial reconstruction of Whitehead's "one subject matter," a course reconnecting biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, and physics into an integrated science program. Staff successfully overcame dilemmas regarding thematic organization,…

The Applications in Biology/Chemistry (ABC) curriculum is a real-world approach designed for the middle 50% of secondary students who may not learn in a predominantly abstract way. Stressing contextual and cooperative learning, ABC features 10 laboratory exercises and other hands-on, problem-solving activities involving visits to job sites and…