Why America Needs School Choice

by Jay P. Greene

Expanding school choice and competition is the single most important action we can take to improve America's schools. Although school choice faces strong opposition from powerful teacher unions and their entrenched political allies, expanding choice via vouchers, charters, and tax credits has repeatedly been shown to improve student achievement, reduce segregation, promote civic values, and facilitate other productive reforms. This eloquent Broadside outlines the case for school choice and shows how it is the most appealing strategy for anyone serious about educational reform.

Genres: Education

48 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2011

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick little pamphlet-type book (inspired by Common Sense and Federalist Papers) to arm Americans with the facts and studies about school choice. Greene responds to the typical justifications to resist market reforms to K-12 education: the bar for school choice “success” has been set very high, but miracles shouldn’t be the standard by which educational programs are judged” (p. 12); he shows that “choice and competition enhance performance” (p. 20); he shows that public schools aren’t harmed by having to compete for funds; and he shows that school choice doesn’t segregate by race (as traditional school boundaries do).

“This disdain for markets among the education establishment is the major obstacle facing efforts to reform America's K-12 education system. Contrary to the claims of opponents, expanding choice via vouchers, charters, and tax credits would make our schools significantly better. Market forces have enabled improvements in almost all aspects of our life, and they can do the same in education…” -p. 1

“The reality is that the K-12 establishment’s hostility to markets is fueled by raw self-interest disguised as benevolent paternalism...These 6.3 million public school employees constitute what Abraham Lincoln might have called a “peculiar and powerful interest,” significantly distorting the design of our educational system.” -p. 4

“In virtually every other human activity, competition and freedom of choice act as stimulants to achievement. Why should education be the sole exception? Having choice and competition is the NORMAL arrangement, while the current design of K-12 education is highly ABNORMAL. Sustaining something so unusual requires exceptional justification.” -pp. 5-6

“Even if the unions and their allies do not dominate the process at the beginning, they are likely to seize control over time. And when they do control the centralized standards, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment machinery that misguided reformers might build, they are unlikely to act so benevolently. They are likely to choose approaches that minimize burdens on their members even if those come at the expense of the educational interests of children. The safest and best way to get quality curriculum, assessments, and pedagogy is to decentralize power through choice rather than to centralize power and pray that benevolent people with good taste and perfect judgment are forever in control.” -pp. 43-4

“It is a bitter irony that this educational establishment is often assisted in its opposition to expanded choice and competition by elite families that already have reasonably good educational options for their own children. Wealthy families enjoy these options because they already have the resources to move to areas with desirable public schools or to pay the tuition at a private school. Taking their own privileges for granted, such families tend to be complacent about securing meaningful choice for others.” -pp. 50-1

“Maintaining this large, nonmarket enterprise in the midst of a society accustomed to choice and competition is incredibly hard to justify and maintain...The bottom line: If you want to improve primary and secondary education in America, you need to encourage school choice, not union control.” -p. 51