Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : U.S. Center to Back Choice in Schools

The Bush Administration stepped up its campaign to give all parents the right to choose the schools their children will attend. Secretary of Education Lauro F. Cavazos announced the opening of the Center for Choice in Education, a resource center in Washington that will dispense information on the effort to force public schools to compete for students. Eleven states have adopted academic choice programs. “When schools compete for students, the quality of instruction improves and the diversity of programs offered increases,” Cavazos said. Critics contend that such programs can foster racial and economic segregation.