Bryan Hassel and Lucy Steiner, Education Commission of the States
2004
The U.S. Education Department funded this short paper outlining ways that states can expand the supply of decent education options for kids who are theoretically given the right to exit their under-performing schools but today have nowhere to go. Among the ideas: expand charter schools by loosening caps; create (and fund) new authorizers; strengthen incentives (and freedoms) to launch new schools; replicate proven models and clone good schools; develop support systems (e.g. incubators, back-office service providers) for new schools; and assist with facilities. These seem like excellent if sometimes obvious ideas, but each brings its own cost in dollars and/or politics. Then again, how serious are we about choice? You can find the paper here.
