Reason Foundation\u2019s mission is to advance a free society by develop-
ing, applying, and promoting libertarian principles, including indi-
vidual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law. We use journalism and
Reason Foundation\u2019s nonpartisan public policy research promotes
choice, competition, and a dynamic market economy as the founda-
tion for human dignity and progress. Reason produces rigorous, peer-
reviewed research and directly engages the policy process, seeking
ported by voluntary contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The views are those of the author, not necessarily those of Reason Foundation or its trustees.
No Choices Left Behind: Competitive
Models to Restructure California\u2019s Lowest-
Performing Schools
he federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to show that students in every
subgroup, including minorities, low-income, and special education students are proficient in
reading and math. In 2005, each subgroup in elementary and middle school had to have at least
24.4 percent of students proficient in reading and 26.5 percent proficient in math. In high school
each subgroup needs 22.3 percent of students proficient in reading and 20.9 percent of students
low-performing public school including:
1. offering opportunity scholarships to students in failing schools;
2. competitively bidding out low-performing schools to outside operators;
3. restructuring the district to a weighted student formula system where a student could
