Dimensions: 8.5'' x 5.5'' 32 pages MPPI Press  (Germantown) Publication Date: August 2006 Paperback ISBN: 00000000000000

A revolution is occurring in America’s education system. Public schools are being held accountable to higher standards and families are expecting more from their tax dollars. In many districts, discontented parents believe the only choice for their children is the local public school, which may or may not meet the needs of their children. However, alternatives are possible. Around the country, school choice reforms are giving parents the power to shape their children’s destinies by determining how and where they are educated.

             In 1955, Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman proposed school vouchers as a way to ensure that children have access to a high quality education. Rather than have government bureaucracies dictate how our education system is administered, government could instead subsidize children’s educations and allow parents to determine where their children go to school. This, Friedman argued, would lead to “a great widening in the educational opportunities open to our children.”

This School Choice for Maryland handbook is written to inform Maryland parents and taxpayers and help give them the tools they need to benefit from the school choice revolution—a movement where, thus far, Maryland has been left behind. My hope is that this handbook will help Marylanders begin a conversation about how we too can benefit from embracing policies that give parents more options for how to educate their children. The more we know and understand about school choice opportunities that currently exist in our country, the better able we will be to call for these options in the Old Line State.

We Marylanders owe present and future generations of children the best opportunities possible through our public school system and elsewhere. As you read this handbook, please consider what kind of education your child is receiving, and if you are satisfied with what is being delivered in your district. I thank you for taking the time to read School Choice for Maryland and look forward to having you join the conversation.

Table of Contents

Embracing the School Choice Revolution - A letter from the president of the Maryland Public Policy Institute

1. Restoring the American Dream: American's Public Education System Needs Improvement

2. School Choice: Giving Parents Power

3. School Choice for Proposals

4. Frequently Asked Questions

5. A To-Do List for Maryland School Choice Supporters

6. Talking Points for Parents

7. Further Reading

8. Quotes from Notable School Choice Supporters

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