During the 1980s and 1990s, market theories and the idea of giving choice to users of services have come to have a powerful influence on public sector policy. his has profoundly influenced educational policy in Britain and many other countries, including the United States, where there are persistent policy trends favoring the enhancement of choice, diversity, and competition in school systems. In this article, some of the findings from a major study investigating the impact of market-oriented reforms in England are reported and discussed. Aspects of the substantive (as opposed to self-promotional) responses of secondary schools to the new, market-like environment are outlined and considered in relation to criteria important to parents when considering choice of school
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