Forty school districts in 23 states have tried programs similar to the pilot plan the Kean administration is initiating. In St. Paul, Minn., where a school-choice program has been in effect for five years, School Superintendent David Bennett is elated with the results. During that period, the district boosted its number of magnet schools - those that draw students from throughout the city - from four to 24. Mr. Bennett said the district had a waiting list of 800 applicants for its magnet elementary schools, and that enrollment in the city's private schools had dropped precipitously as the public school system improved. He says the district is now trying to buy neighboring suburban schools to meet the demand for its program.
"I feel the hot breath of competition day in and day out because I genuinely fear that our clients (students) won't stay if the quality drops, and that's fine because I don't know who ought to be attending bad schools," said Mr. Bennett.
St. Paul's success came about after the system was opened up for purposes of desegregation, and the 20 new magnet schools were made possible by an influx of state aid. But New Jersey cities like Camden or Newark would have trouble following St. Paul's example because they just don't have as many middle-class students to begin with.
Clearly, the notion of offering a choice of schools has its drawbacks, such as the possibility of isolating the poorest students in unfavorable schools, or creating an overcrowding problem at a school best known for its winning football team.
But the idea of school choice is gaining credibility with educators and elected officials - President Bush endorsed parental choice during his election campaign last year - who are searching for anything that could rescue public education from the abyss of mediocrity. Forcing schools to compete for students might eventually do for public education what Japanese imports did for American cars.
