Ever since the passage of No Child Left Behind, the notion of school “choice” has played a prominent role in public education policy. The idea of having a choice has a universal appeal and it’s easy to make assumptions about what school choice means based on personal interpretations. So, the idea of “choice” is one thing, informed choice is another thing altogether.

Parents deserve to know that rich public school options, such as Magnets, exist within their own district, that not all charter schools welcome or keep every child or that private schools accessed by Corporate Tax Scholarships may not be accredited. With the idea of choice comes competition and for profit charter school developers spend a lot of money marketing their product while district schools do not.

Included in this section are two valuable checklists and a glossary of terms parents can use to start an informed conversation when considering education options for their child.