Wagner, Michael. (1999). Charter schools in Alberta: Change or continuity in progressive conservative education policy? Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 45(1),52-66. ERIC Document No. EJ584539. (Author gives notable attention to homeschooling at several places in paper. “By examining PC [Progressive Conservative] government [in Canada] policy toward alternative schools, private school funding, home schooling, and the School Act of 1988, it becomes clear that there has been a consistent direction in support of school choice” (p. 54). “The recent growth of home schooling has largely been accommodated by, and some would say encouraged by, the PC government. Home schooling was included in the 1988 School Act, the first time it was explicitly dealt with in legislation in Alberta. Interestingly, the School Act “stipulated that home education students must be supervised by a board, but did not specify which school board a parent must choose. Parents are free to choose any school board in the province of Alberta to monitor their program” (Clendening, 1996, p. 35). This gave rise to the phenomenon of the ” willing nonresident board” whereby home schoolers could shop around and register with the school board most willing to accommodate their needs. The boards would receive the per-pupil grant for each child of $2,100 to $2,500 (depending on the child’s age). Some of the boards would return a portion of this money to the home schooling parents. The nonresident provision enabled small rural boards with little money to improve their financial situation by catering to home schoolers outside their jurisdiction” (p. 63). “The Progressive Conservative government has been supportive of choice in education right from the start. This is not to say that the PCs came to power with an agenda to promote private schools and other alternatives, but that whenever this issue has arisen in its various forms, the government has come out on the same side of the question. Whether it is alternative schools, private school funding, home schooling, or charter schools, the PC  government has made educational choice available” (p. 65). “Abstract: The recent establishment of charter schools in Alberta (Canada) has prompted allegations of a radical change towards privatization by the Progressive Conservative (PC) government. However, policy decisions since the 1970s demonstrate that the PC government has consistently supported private alternatives to public education; charter schools extend the party’s longstanding policy of educational choice. Contains 37 references” (retrieved 7/16/13 from https://eric.ed.gov/). (Keywords: charter schools; educational change; educational history; educational policy; foreign countries; government school relationship; homeschooling, home schooling; politics of education; private schools; privatization; school choice, Canada)