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Page 54Goal 1, Objective 1.6

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National Concerns.

Public school choice represents one important strategy to provide options tostudents with different learning needs. Some public school choice programs have been used to ease adisproportionate increase in minority group student isolation. Other options encourage greater flexibilityin school offerings to address the needs of students, families, and communities. Another goal of publicschool choice may be to allow students to transfer out of schools identified for improvement. Ultimately,public school choice is meant to promote options for students to attend a school other than their assignedneighborhood school. According to a 1999 survey of parents, approximately 15 percent of all U.S.students in grades K-12 attended a public school that their families chose. Public school choice operatesthrough various mechanisms, including charter schools, magnet schools, open enrollment policies, andpostsecondary options.

Our Role.

The Department of Education’s (ED) goal is to promote and support public schools of choicethat equitably serve all children, improve academic performance, and provide valuable lessons that can beused to improve public education generally. ED strives to support well designed public school choice—defined as any approach to improve teaching and learning that:

Provides new, different, high-quality choices to families and students in public schools—choicesin educational courses, activities, programs, or schools—to better meet their different learningstyles, interests, and needs

Holds schools and programs accountable to the public for results

Stimulates educational innovation for the continuous improvement of all public schools,contributes to standards-based school reform efforts, and promotes high expectations and highachievement for all students

Results in options that are voluntary and accessible to all students, including those who are poor,are members of a minority group, or have limited English proficiency or disabilities

Promotes educational equity and increases opportunities for students to receive the educationalbenefits that diversity provides

Increases family involvement in the education of their childrenED promotes choice in public education primarily by supporting new or significantly expanded charterschools and magnet schools through ED’s Public Charter Schools Program (PCSP) and Magnet SchoolAssistance Program (MSAP), respectively. PCSP provides startup funds for charter schools and forevaluating the effects of the charter school on other schools and students. MSAP provides funds to helpschool districts establish new magnet schools. The purpose of these magnet schools is to reduce, prevent,or eliminate minority group isolation and to promote diversity by creating programs that attract studentsfrom diverse backgrounds. In addition to ED’s current support for public school choice, theAdministration’s reauthorization proposal also includes a new program called OPTIONS: Opportunitiesto Improve Our Nation’s Schools. This program would identify and support innovative approaches tohigh-quality public school choice within school districts and states.

Archived Information

Goal 1, Objective 1.6Page 55

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How We Measure.

ED measures its progress toward meeting the objective of increased public schoolchoice by tracking (1) the percentage of students in public schools of choice, (2) the number of states withcharter school authorizing legislation, and (3) the number of charter schools operating nationwide.

Indicator 1.6.a. By 2003, 25 percent of all public school students in grades K-12 will attend a school that they or their parents have chosen.

Assessment of Progress.

The 1999 target was not met; however, there was a positive trend toward thattarget. The 1999 data show that 15 percent of students in grades K-12 attend public schools of theirchoice (including a neighborhood school to which a student was assigned, but would have chosenanyway). These performance data show that some progress was made, but we fell short of the target by 3percent.As the indicator states, the target for 2003 is that 25 percent of students in grades K-12 will attend aschool of their choice. This ambitious target reflects the Administration’s priority of expanding publicschool choice, the continuation of MSAP and PCSP, and the Administration’s reauthorization proposalfor expanded choice options funded by the Opportunities to Improve Our Nation’s Schools (OPTIONS)program. There is also the expectation that other non-Federally supported public school choice programswill increase in numbers that will result in increasing percentages of students enrolled in schools that theyand their families choose. It is therefore likely that there will be progress made toward future targets (seeFigure 1.6.a.1).Figure 1.6.a.1

Source:

NCES, National Household Education Surveys, 1993, 1996, and1999 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Frequency:

periodic(1993, 1996, 1999, and 2003)

Next Update:

2003.

Validation procedure:

Data validated by NCES review procedures and

NCES StatisticalStandards

. Limitations of data and planned improvements:

No knownlimitations.

Indicator 1.6.b. By 2000, a minimum of 40 states will have charter schoollegislation.

Assessment of Progress

Target exceeded and positive trend toward 2000 target. Since Minnesotabecame the first state to enact legislation authorizing charter schools in 1991, 38 states have followed suitas of 1999.

[All references to the number of "states" with charter school legislation or with operatingcharter schools include the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.]

President Clinton set the target for2000 at 40 states with charter school legislation, and the target for 2001 is 42 states with charter schoollegislation (see Figure 1.6.b.1).

14%18%15%11%25%0%10%20%30%40%50%

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Year

P e r c e n t a g e o f S t u d e n t s

Goal:

Continuingincrease

Percentage Students in Grades K-12in Public Schools Chosen by Students or Parents

* 2 $ / * 2 $ /

Page 56Goal 1, Objective 1.6

Figure 1.6.b.1

Source:

State Educational Agencies; State legislatures.

Frequency:

Quarterly.

Next Update:

Summer 2000.

Validation procedure:

Datavalidated by the ED staff and corroborated by information from othersources.

Limitations of data and planned improvements:

Thedefinition of state charter school legislation varies.

Indicator 1.6.c. By 2002, there will be at least 3,000 charter schools inoperation around the Nation.

Assessment of Progress

Target exceeded and positive trend toward 2002 target. The target that atleast 3,000 charter schools will be in operation by 2002 was set by President Clinton. The number of charter schools has been increasing rapidly since the first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992.More than 1,700 charter schools are in operation in the current 1999-00 school year, which exceeds thegoal of 1,600 charter schools in operation that was set in last year’s Annual Plan. The performance targetfor the 2000-01 school year is 2,060 schools in operation, and the target for the 2001-02 school year is2,667 schools (see Figure 1.6.c.1).Figure 1.6.c.1

Source:

State Education Agencies; State legislatures; Center for EducationReform (as a cross-reference).

Frequency:

Annual.

Next Update:

Summer2000.

Validation procedure:

Data verified by the U.S. Department of Education data quality attestation process and

the ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Indicators.

Limitations of data andplanned improvements:

Cross-referencing sources has helped validatefigures received from various sources. The nature of state lawssignificantly influences the growth of charter schools; although 38 stateshave authorizing legislation, the majority of charter schools are located inseven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, NorthCarolina, and Texas).

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