More Resources Supplemental Educational Services Choice Fact Sheet BuildingChoice web-based toolkit

"...School choice is part of the strategy to give every child an excellent education."

--U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

The No Child Left Behind Act provides new education options for many families. This federal law allows parents to choose other public schools or take advantage of free tutoring if their child attends a school that needs improvement. Also, parents can choose another public school if the school their child attends is unsafe. The law also supports the growth of more independent charter schools, funds some services for children in private schools, and provides certain protections for homeschooling parents. Finally, it requires that states and local school districts provide information to help parents make informed educational choices for their child.

Get the latest news on choice and supplemental educational services with Office of Innovations and Improvement Alerts.

Learn about the full range of choices available under No Child Left Behind and beyond.

• Public School Choice
• Supplemental Educational Services
• Charter Schools
• Magnet Schools
• Private Education
• Homeschooling
• DC Choice

These databases, books, and brochures can help parents and schools make choice work. They were developed by the U.S. Department of Education, are free and can be reproduced without permission.

• School Choice for Administrators
• School Choice for Parents
• Supplemental Educational Services
• Find a School

The U.S. Department of Education manages grant programs and provides services that support school choice.

• Programs
  • Charter Schools
  • Charter School Facilities Credit Enhancement
  • Charter School Facilities State Incentive
  • D.C. School Choice Incentive
  • Magnet Schools
  • Parent Information and Resource Centers
  • Voluntary Public School Choice

• Services
  • Office of Non-Public Education
  • Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Additional information to help with the school choice process.

• www.SchoolMatters.com (report card data for states, districts, and schools)
• www.GreatSchools.net (information on public, private, and charter schools nationwide)
• Charters and School Choice Webcast
  Real Player (161 MB; 59 minutes, 45 seconds)
• New Tools for Parents: Getting Informed and Getting Involved Webcast
  Real Player (103MB; 56 minutes, 12 seconds)
• Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639 (2002), Supreme Court Case