Exploring the School Choice Universe

A volume in The National Education Policy Center SeriesSeries Editors:Kevin G. Welner, University of Colorado-BoulderExploring the School Choice Universe: Evidence and Recommendations gives readers a comprehensive,complete picture of choice policies and issues. In doing so, it offers cross-cutting insights that areobscured when one looks only at single issue or a single approach to choice. The book examines choice inits various forms: charter schools, home schooling, online schooling, voucher plans that allow students touse taxpayer funds to attend private schools, tuition tax credit plans that provide a public subsidy forprivate school tuition, and magnet schools and other forms of public school intra- and interdistrict choice.It brings together some of the top researchers in the field, presenting a comprehensive overview of thebest current knowledge of these important policies.The questions addressed in Exploring the School Choice Universe are of most importance to researchers and policy makers. What do choice programsactually do? What forms do they take? Who participates, and why? What are the funding implications? What are the results of different forms ofschool choice on outcomes that matter, like student performance, segregation, and competition effects? Do they affect teachers' working conditions?Do they drive innovation?The contents of this book offer reason to believe that choice policies can further some educational goals. But they also suggest many reasons forcaution. If choice policies are to be evidence-based, a re-examination is in order. The information, insights and recommendations facilitate a morenuanced understanding of school choice and provide the basis for designing sensible school choice reforms that can pursue a range of desirableoutcomes.Endorsements:By far, the richest source of information on the most controversial issue in education. - Henry M. Levin, Teachers College, Columbia University.This book is one of the few contributions to the school choice debate that recognizes the range and complexity of the issues involved andacknowledges that political judgements about the costs and benefits of choice initiatives are not straightforward. It will be of interest not only toAmerican readers but also to those in other countries considering the adoption of similar choicepolicies. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who does not have a closed mind on thesubject. - Geoff Whitty, Director Emeritus, Institute of Education, University of London