Parents now can shop for classrooms that fit their children, even if it means sending their kids to a district miles away. On the other hand, it's a challenge. Parents are going to have to be smart education consumers and really try to match the school to their child's needs. The first step for the discriminating school shopper is knowing what one wants. Parents can find intimate one-school charter districts that enroll around 100 students or sprawling districts such as Lansing's, which caters to 18,000 students.
Some schools specialize.
Waverly and East Lansing districts offer innovative high-tech programs. Some parents want small class sizes. Lansing has brought class sizes in some of its elementary schools down to 17 students or less. Other parents use the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests to judge the academic performance of schools. The standardized tests are given each year to students in grades four, five, seven, eight and 11.