An Analysis of Public-Private School Choice in Texas [electronic resource] / J. Chrys Dougherty and Stephen L. Becker.

This report makes a quantitative and qualitative assessment of four concerns as they apply to school choice in Texas schools: (1) parents of students participating in choice programs select schools for reasons having little to do with academic quality; (2) school-choice plans that allow the use of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full Text (via ERIC)
Main Author: Dougherty, J. Chrys
Corporate Authors: Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, Texas Public Policy Foundation, National Center for Policy Analysis (U.S.)
Other Authors: Becker, Stephen L.
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: [S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1995.
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Summary:This report makes a quantitative and qualitative assessment of four concerns as they apply to school choice in Texas schools: (1) parents of students participating in choice programs select schools for reasons having little to do with academic quality; (2) school-choice plans that allow the use of taxpayer money at private schools will drain resources from the public-school system; (3) there will be few open seats available at private schools that choose to participate in a choice plan; and (4) transportation is a barrier to effective choice plans. The report is divided into four parts: Why Parents Choose Schools; Fiscal Impact of School Choice; Prospects for Private-School Entry; and Access to Transportation. Findings indicate that low-income parents provide widespread support for school choice, that the variable cost of a Texas public-school student is 87 percent to 93 percent of the total annual operating expenses, that the existing supply of private-school vacancies is extremely small in relation to the population of students that will be eligible for school choice, and that transportation will not be a major stumbling block if participating private schools provide the same services as comparable public schools. The document concludes with a strategy for implementing school choice in Texas. Contains 22 references. (RJM)
Item Description:ERIC Document Number: ED431237.
Physical Description:46 p.