Choosing a School for Your Child: Resources

Web Sites for Directories & Other Information

Choice Web Site  www.ed.gov/nclb/choice/index.html?src=ov

Many other Web sites provide information related to choice.

U.S. Department of Education has information for parents at  www.ed.gov (Click on the "Parents" box.)

Council of Chief State School Officers (links to state education agencies where you can learn about school performance and supplemental educational servic- es providers)  www.ccsso.org

Educational Resources Information Center(ERIC) (articles and reports on topics related to school choice)  www.eric.ed.gov

National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (search for public and private schools)  http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator

Office of Non-Public Education, U.S. Department of Education (links to nonpublic school organizations, private school locator, and other information about non-public education)  www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/index.html

Parental Information and Resource Centers (directory of centers across the country)  www.pirc-info.net/pircs.asp

SchoolResults.org (comparative performance data)  www.schoolresults.org

U.S. Charter Schools (information about charter schools)  www.uscharterschools.org

Web sites for homeschoolers: The Web has many resources, including instruc- tional materials, assistance on legal issues, links to support groups, and others. Web sites for homeschoolers are too numerous to list here, but a search on terms such as "homeschool" or "homeschooling" should lead you to those sites that best match your interests and needs.

Recently Published Books

Here are just a few of the many books that discuss issues related to choosing a school for your child and offer additional tools that parents can use to help them make the decision.

Hassel, Bryan C. and Hassel, Emily Ascue, (2004). Picky Parent Guide: Choose Your Child's School with Confidence, The Elementary Years (K-6). Ross, Calif.: Armchair Press.

Henderson, Anne T. and Mapp, Karen L., (2002). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement, (2002). Austin, Tex.: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.

Henderson, Anne T., (2002). No Child Left Behind: What's in It for Parents. Lexington, Ky.: Parent Leadership Associates.

Office of Innovation and Improvement, (2004). Innovations in Education: Creating Strong District School Choice Programs. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.

Office of Innovation and Improvement, (2004) Innovations in Education: Creating Strong Supplemental Educational Services Programs. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.

Office of Innovation and Improvement, (2004) Innovations in Education: Successful Charter Schools. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.

Office of Innovation and Improvement, (2004) Innovations in Education: Successful Magnet Schools. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.

A Few Organizations That Provide Information to Parents

There are many organizations that can provide valuable information to assist parents seeking to choose a school. The following are a few examples:

Black Alliance for Educational Options(BAEO) 1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Suite 1200 Washington, DC 20036 202-544-9870 www.baeo.org

Center for Education Reform (CER)1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 204 Washington, DC 20036 202-822-9000 www.edreform.com

Council for American Private Education (CAPE) 13017 Wisteria Drive #457 Germantown, MD 20874 301-916-8460 

Education Leaders Council (ELC) 1225 19th Street, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036 202-261-2600 www.educationleaders.org

Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation(GEO) 302 S. Meridian Street Suite 201 Indianapolis, IN 46225 317-524-3770 www.geofoundation.org

Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO) 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW Suite 408 Washington, DC 20037 202-625-6766 www.hcreo.org

WestEd730 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94017 1-877-4-WestEd www.wested.org