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Essay on School Choice is the Future of Education

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Current efforts to change schools fall into two general categories. The first embodies decentralization of administrative power to school sites, much akin to a popular movement to move many governmental social functions such as welfare to state and regional levels. The second is to create competition among school districts for students, a key tenet of the industrialized world that purports to deliver a greater range of products and services at a price the market will bear. When parents have the option of sending their children to more than one school, the term "school choice" is often applied.

There are many factors involved in creating a good learning environment for children. There is little evidence that decentralization …show more content…

Choice programs must be well planned.

2. Choice programs must have equitable admissions standards.

3. Choice programs must inform parents of the ramifications of their choices.

4. Choice programs must be but one part of the total reform process in education.

5. Choice programs must view the increasing racial diversity of America as a strength to build a world-class educational enterprise.

6. Choice programs must assure citizens of their rightful role in the governance and accountability of educational programs.

7. "Experimental" choice programs must begin collecting solid data and hard evidence that will demonstrate their success and failures so that the citizenry can learn from these experiments.

The last point addresses a key element sought after by proponents of school choice--standards and accountability. Finn and Ravitch (1995) have argued that only clear and high standards for performance will ensure accountability, both to families making informed choices among schools and to whatever public body authorizes the school to operate. Only when such standards are in place and accompanied by good indication of performance can parents make informed choices among schools.

In a market driven educational arena, schools that are competing for students are often open to performance inspection. Consider the following information available to

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