The way to rectify the situation was to give the left behind families the means to exercise options beyond their reach. Once they could walk away from their schools, then perhaps the system would listen to them. Two months after it started, the city school district announced its intention to develop a limited choice plan of its own, called Select Schools. It was adopted in the fall of 1993, to mixed reviews, but it means parents do enjoy a bit more freedom in deciding their children's futures. Competition works, and it leads to good things.
Values are the first point.
The families want to know that what they are teaching the children at home is being reinforced by the school. And, sadly, safety is the second factor. Now they believe they are. Perhaps the parents understand education better than most of the experts. Without values and without a safe environment, good education cannot occur.