Choosing Choice

by Douglas B. Reeves. in the American School Board Journal, www.asbj.com  December 2011

"Parents are demanding more educational choices and more say in their children’s schooling. How can you offer choice in your district so you don’t lose parents to charters and vouchers?"

"Parents love choices. Proliferating brands, color palettes, communication media, and electronic options are only a few of the manifestations of our collective desire to be in charge of our choices. Not surprisingly, board members now face a significant increase in demands for school choice. Some of this increase in demand is fueled by federal funding incentives for charter schools; the recent $4 billion Race to the Top program gave preference to states with the least restrictive charter school legislation. A growing number of states permit parents to choose schools outside traditional attendance boundaries, and a few are permitting vouchers."


"Educational debates can sometimes be framed in terms of extremes—you are either for choice or against choice. Board members can, however, offer a more nuanced approach that provides fair choice --alternatives in structure, governance, and curriculum—without inflicting unnecessary financial damage on the public school system."


Link to the complete article, copy and paste the following:

http://www.asbj.com/MainMenuCategory/Archive/2011/December/1211pdfs/Choosing-Choice.aspx?Site=nsba