A cluster elementary school was formed when six schools in Washington, D.C., were in danger of closing. Spearheaded by the PTA, teachers, and administrators, this reorganization increased enrollments, improved the quality and diversity of education, and offered more educational choices to parents. It increased the social integration of the school.…

Choice is the basis for Minnesota's school improvement plan. School districts decide whether they want to participate, but they may not be selective about who they admit. Districts must release students who want to attend school elsewhere. The plan is too new to evaluate, but public support for it is increasing. (VM)

Examines the extent to which parents get their children into the schools they choose by studying assignment of 38,700 students in the Boston (Massachusetts) schools. The majority (88.6 percent) received their first-choice school assignments, and 3.8 percent received an assignment for which no request had been made. (SLD)

Explores the role of experience in educational change in a roundtable discussion with S. Nicolau, D. Davies, and D. Moore. A common thread is the vision of the school as a center of community life and a community of learners that includes students, parents, and teachers. (SLD)

Presents the views of a concerned citizen on reshaping U.S. schools in a peaceful, grass-roots revolution. Emphasis is on the neighborhood school, with parent participation, and a system that keeps students with the same teacher for multiple years. The human and technological resources that the approach requires are discussed. (SLD)

Examines the effects of high school choice on high risk students in four large urban school districts. Finds that with the exception of some magnet school programs, admissions procedures and program consequences usually operate to the detriment of students at risk. (FMW)

Examines focus group methodology as a fundamental first step in planning a school and as a data gathering strategy for design of a community survey. The case study of the collaborative effort between two districts and the University of Hartford illustrates the value of focus groups. (SLD)