This month's Phi Delta Kappan has an article penned by American Enterprise Institute education policy studies director Fredrick Hess and Gadfly's own Checker Finn that looks at the implementation of NCLB's choice provisions with an eye toward whether they are being "conscientiously and constructively implemented or appear likely to work as intended." Hess and Finn outline six lessons we've learned over the past two years of implementation of the choice provisions and make several recommendations for mid-course corrections that could increase their chances of success. To wit, they recommend: (1) expanding the "supply of adequate schools into which eligible students can transfer" either by increasing district options, "widening the availability of charter schooling, or putting greater emphasis on nondistrict options"; (2) reversing "the order in which supplemental services and public school choice must be provided" because it makes more sense "to help children improve their performance within a school prior to offering them the chance to leave that school"; and (3) taking steps to "prod districts to notify parents of their options early, often, and in plain, user-friendly terms." Watch this space for more from their upcoming book on this topic, Leaving No Child Behind? Options for Kids in Failing Schools, due out on September 14.
"Inflating life rafts of NCLB," Frederick M. Hess and Chester E. Finn, Jr., Phi Delta Kappan, September 2004 (Articles from the September 2004 edition not yet available online.)