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Clearinghouse on Educational Policy and Management
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| College of Education · University of Oregon |
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Trends and Issues: School Choice
Policy ReportsED464992 UD035023 Public Support for Private Schools in Post-Communist Central Europe: Czech and Hungarian Experiences. Author: Filer, Randall K.; Munich, Daniel Availability: Civil Society Initiatives, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Tel: 202-884-8778. e-mail: csimail@aed.org. Sponsoring Agency: Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna (Austria). (BBB32207) Publication Date: June 2001 Language: English Document Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data (110); Reports--Descriptive (141) Journal Announcement: RIENOV2002 Abstract: This paper discusses public support for private education and educational vouchers in post-Communist Hungary and the Czech Republic, which support nonstate schools extensively. Although public schools were relatively good in these countries post-Communism, there was a surge in demand for private alternatives. The paper examines changing market incentives and traces the development of nonstate schools, as well as other education reforms, in these two countries since 1989. It notes factors influencing the establishment of nonstate schools, providing preliminary evidence regarding the role of such schools in expanding the range of opportunities for parents and students and in bringing pressure for reform to bear on the state school system. Private schools appear to have arisen in response to distinct market incentives. They are more common in areas where public schools are doing a poor job, as seen by the success rate of academic high schools in obtaining admission to the top universities for their graduates or of technical high schools in obtaining employment and high wages for their graduates. Preliminary evidence suggests that public schools facing private competition improve their performance. Preliminary evidence also supports the claims of advocates for nationwide voucher schemes. (Contains 25 references.) (SM) Descriptors: *Educational Change; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; *Private Schools; Public Schools; School Choice Identifiers: *Czech Republic; Hungary; *Reform Efforts Contract Number: 98-1-152 Geographic Source: Czech Republic ED464991 UD035022 Responses of Private and Public Schools to Voucher Funding: The Czech Experience. Revised. Author: Filer, Randall K.; Munich, Daniel Availability: Civil Society Initiatives, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Tel: 202-884-8778. e-mail: csimail@aed.org. Sponsoring Agency: Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna (Austria). (BBB32207) Publication Date: November 2001 Language: English Document Type: Information Analysis (070); Reports--Evaluative (142) Journal Announcement: RIENOV2002 Abstract: This paper examines the post-Communist Czech Republic in order to investigate the possible consequences were a major U.S. state to adopt universal education vouchers. Although public schools in the Czech Republic were relatively good post-communism, there was an initial surge in demand for private alternatives. Private schools appear to have arisen in response to distinct market incentives. They are more common where public school inertia has resulted in an undersupply of available slots and where the public schools appear to be doing a worse job in their primary educational mission, as demonstrated by the success rate of academic high schools in obtaining admission to the top universities for their graduates. There is evidence that public schools facing private competition do improve their performance. They spend more of their resources on classroom instruction and significantly reduce class size. Evidence from the adoption of the Czech nationwide voucher scheme supports the claim of advocates for such systems. Private schools supported by vouchers increased educational opportunity and spurred public schools to improved performance. They also spurred public schools to engage in bureaucratic maneuvering designed to preserve their entrenched position. (Contains 11 tables and 43 references.) (SM) Descriptors: *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; *Private Schools; *Public Schools; School Choice Identifiers: *Czech Republic Contract Number: 98-1-152 Geographic Source: Czech Republic ED464174 UD034946 A Comprehensive Framework for Evaluating Educational Vouchers. Occasional Paper. Author: Levin, Henry M. Institutional Author: Columbia Univ., New York, NY. National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education.(BBB37022) Availability: National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Box 181, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3259; Fax: 212-678-3474; e-mail: ncspe@columbia.edu. For full text: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/ncspe. Publication Date: 2000 Report Number: NCSPE-OP-5 Language: English Document Type: Reports--Descriptive (141) Journal Announcement: RIEOCT2002 Descriptors: Educational Quality; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Equal Education; Evaluation Methods; Parent Participation; *Program Evaluation; *School Choice; Descriptive Terms: An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Futures of Education (Zurich, Switzerland, March 28-30, 2000). Geographic Source: U.S.; New York ED460232 UD034687 School Leadership in a Market Setting: The Influence of Private Scholarships on Educational Leadership in Urban Schools. Policy Research Report. Author: St. John, Edward P.; Ridenour, Carolyn S. Institutional Author: Indiana Univ., Bloomington. Education Policy Center.(BBB29011) Availability: Indiana Education Policy Center, Smith Research Center, Suite 170, 2805 East Tenth Street, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47408-2698. Tel: 812-855-1240; Fax: 812-855-0240; Web site: http://www.indiana.edu/~iepc. For full text: http://www.indiana.edu/~iepc/PRINCIPALS.pdf. Sponsoring Agency: Smith Richardson Foundation, Inc., Greensboro, NC. (BBB00987)@; Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Milwaukee, WI. (BBB26857)@; Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Washington, DC. (BBB35085) Publication Date: October 2001 Report Number: RR-01-07 Language: English Document Type: Reports--Research (143) Journal Announcement: RIEMAY2002 Abstract: This study used qualitative methods to examine the influence of a privately funded scholarship program (PFSP) on strategic adaptations within urban pubic and private schools in a major metropolitan area. Interviews were conducted with principals during the base year before the introduction of the PFSP and in the first year of the scholarship program. Results revealed that public schools moved rapidly to develop distinctive school missions that provided market niches and choice for parents. Private schools worked to recruit low-income students and to influence program donors to give scholarships to low-income students already enrolled in private schools. Private schools began to explore ways of adapting curricula and services to meet the learning needs of more diverse students. However, public school administrators were caught in the middle, between the mandates of boards and central administrators and the resistance of teachers and the bureaucratic nature of the education system. This tension impeded their capacity to adapt to the new market-oriented environment. (Contains 28 references.) (SM) Descriptors: *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; *Instructional Leadership; Principals; *Private Financial Support; Private Schools; Public Schools; *Scholarships; School Choice; *Urban Schools; Descriptive Terms: Also supported by the Walton Family and D & D Foundations. Geographic Source: U.S.; Indiana ED446175 UD033803 The Market Approach to Education: An Analysis of America's First Voucher Program. Author: Witte, John F. Availability: California Princeton Fulfillment Services, 1445 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ 08618 ($29.95). Tel: 609-833-1759; Fax: 609-883-7413. Publication Date: 2000 ISBN: 0-691-00944-9 Language: English Pages: 221 Document Type: Book (010); Reports--Evaluative (142) Journal Announcement: RIEMAR2001 Abstract: In 1990, Milwaukee, Wisconsin implemented a school choice program aimed at improving the education of inner-city children by enabling them to attend a selection of private schools. This book provides a broad, yet detailed, framework for examining the Milwaukee approach and its implications for the market approach to U.S. education. It explains why the Milwaukee program seems to be working, but discusses why such programs do not necessarily promote equal education and how they might harm the disadvantaged if applied across the socioeconomic spectrum. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "The Enduring Controversy over Educational Choice"; (3) "Educational Choice and the Milwaukee Voucher Program"; (4) "Who Participates in Choice Programs?"; (5) "The Milwaukee Choice Schools"; (6) "Outcomes of the Milwaukee Voucher Program"; (7) "The Politics of Vouchers"; and (8) "Implications and Conclusions." (Contains 5 figures, 34 tables, and 140 references.) (SLD) Descriptors: *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; *Free Enterprise System; Inner City; Private Schools; *Program Effectiveness; Public Schools; *School Choice Identifiers: *Market Systems Approach; *Milwaukee Public Schools WI Geographic Source: U.S.; New Jersey ED445417 EA030659 School Reform in England: Increasing Choice and Diversity through Specialist Schools? Author: West, Anne; Noden, Philip Availability: EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Publication Date: April 2000 Language: English Pages: 17 Document Type: Reports--Evaluative (142); Speeches/meeting papers (150) Journal Announcement: RIEMAR2001 Abstract: This paper focuses on school reform in England and in particular on the attempts to increase diversity and choice through specialist schools. It examines the extent to which diversity and choice have been introduced into the state (public) education system and then presents key findings to emerge from an evaluation of the flagship government program designed to increase diversity into the state system, namely the Specialist Schools Programme. By September 1999 there were over 400 specialist schools in local education authorities across all parts of England. This represents over 12 percent B a significant minority B of all eligible secondary schools. The Programme enables schools to develop their strength in either technology, modern foreign languages, sports, or the arts. The various types of specialist schools all provide the full national curriculum. Section 2 provides an overview of the structure of the state education system in England and the reforms that have been introduced over the past 15 years or so. Section 3 focuses explicitly on specialist schools and the Specialist Schools Programme in particular and Section 4 presents key findings to emerge from the first evaluation of the Specialist Schools Programme commissioned by the Department for Education and employment. Section 5 concludes the paper with a discussion of the extent to which the Programme can be considered to have increased diversity and choice. (Includes 16 references and 4 figures.) (Author/MLF) Descriptors: Community Involvement; Curriculum Development; *Diversity (Institutional); *Educational Change; Foreign Countries; High Stakes Tests; National Competency Tests; National Curriculum; Program Evaluation; Public Schools; Resource Allocation; *School Choice; *School Restructuring; Secondary Education; Technology Education Identifiers: Education Reform Act 1988 (England); *England; *Specialist Schools Descriptive Terms: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (New Orleans, Louisiana, April 24-28, 2000). Much of paper derived from an evaluation of the Specialist Schools Programme funded by the Department of Education and Employment. Geographic Source: United Kingdom; England ED445167 UD033767 The Pressure for Choice: An Analysis of a Series of "Traditional School" Proposals to School Boards in B.C. with Regard to Establishing Schools of Choice within the Public System. Research Series #2. Author: Coleman, Peter Institutional Author: Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education, Kelowna (British Columbia).(BBB34909) Availability: Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education, 52-1020 Lanfranco Road, Kelowna, B.C. V1W 3W7, Canada. Tel: 250-717-1163; Fax: 250-717-1134; e-mail: hraham@wkpowerlink.com; Web site: http://www.saee.bc.ca. Publication Date: May 1998 ISBN: 0-9685144-1-3 Language: English Pages: 56 Document Type: Reports--Evaluative (142) Journal Announcement: RIEFEB2001 Abstract: During 1994 to 1996, 15 school districts in British Columbia, Canada, received proposals to establish alternative public schools of choice based on the effective school model. These became commonly known as "traditional schools." Most of the proposals were denied, but four elementary schools were in existence by early 1998 and three others were approved later in the year. This study analyzed the proposals submitted to support 14 traditional schools. These proposals are based on the beliefs of the proposers that a consistent, structured approach to learning and school accountability is essential. Among the foundational elements proposed for these new schools are adherence to the prescribed curriculum, parent input through a governance council and parent partnership in instruction, with commitment to the values of the school ensured in advance of enrollment of students. The proposed schools planned to emphasize traditional models of instruction, especially direct instruction. Teachers were to have high expectations for students, and the schools were to have strict codes of behavior. The analysis concludes that the proposals match well with effective schools research and fit within the academic press theory of school effectiveness. A large body of research supports the emphasis on parent involvement, and choice of the school is expected to strengthen parent and student engagement. School choice could become a central technique for improving schools in British Columbia. An appendix summarizes elements of the proposals studied. (Contains 3 tables, 2 charts, and 44 references.) (SLD) Descriptors: *Accountability; Curriculum; *Effective Schools Research; Elementary Education; Foreign Countries; Nontraditional Education; *Parent Participation; *School Choice; School Districts; School Effectiveness; Urban Schools Identifiers: *British Columbia Geographic Source: Canada; British Columbia ED441904 UD033573 Selective Admission Practices? Comparing the Milwaukee Public Schools and the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Current Education Issues 2000-01. Author: Fuller, Howard L.; Mitchell, George A. Institutional Author: Marquette Univ., Milwaukee, WI. Institute for the Transformation of Learning.(BBB36027) Availability: Marquette University, Office of Research, 2025 North Summit Avenue, Suite 101, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Tel: 414-765-0691; Fax: 414-765-1271. Publication Date: January 2000 Language: English Pages: 26 Document Type: Reports--Descriptive (141); Speeches/meeting papers (150) Journal Announcement: RIENOV2000 Abstract: This study compared allowable admission practices in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), the nation's oldest program of tax-supported K-12 school choice in private schools. The report identifies three misperceptions advanced by voucher opponents: private schools apply to MPCP students the same admission criteria used for other students; all public schools accept all students; and all public schools do not use selective criteria. The report concludes that Milwaukee's experience with this voucher program directly contradicts claims by voucher opponents regarding public and private school admission practices. It illustrates that targeted, tax-supported school voucher programs for low-income parents can provide essentially an open admission policy. The study did not evaluate allowable practices in other jurisdictions with tax-supported and privately-supported voucher programs, nor did it evaluate the merits of selective admission programs used by MPS or prohibition in state law on using selection criteria in reviewing MPCP applications. Four attachments contain: the MPCP application form, MPS Program for the Academically Talented information form, MPS Golda Meir Gifted and Talented information form, and request for student records form used by the Public Schools Open Enrollment Program. (SM) Descriptors: Admission Criteria; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; *Enrollment Trends; Low Income Groups; Parents; *Private Schools; Public Schools; *School Choice; Special Education Identifiers: *Milwaukee Parental Choice Program WI; *Milwaukee Public Schools WI Descriptive Terms: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Education Writers Association (St. Petersburg, FL, January 28-29, 2000). Geographic Source: U.S.; Wisconsin EJ593704 PS529697 The Impact of Government Intervention in Pre-school Provision. Author: Stephen, Christine; Brown, Sally Availability: Journal Citation: Early Child Development and Care, v153 p1-17 Jun 1999 Publication Date: 1999 ISSN: 0300-4430 Language: English Document Type: Journal articles (080); Reports--Research (143) Journal Announcement: CIJAPR2000 Abstract: Uses data from pilot year of Pre-school Education Initiative in Scotland to look at the impact of government-introduced voucher system intended to expand preschool provision. Identifies four changes in provision and for the culture: playroom activities, expectations for purpose/outcomes of program, parental roles, and requirements for quality assurance and accountability. (Author/KB) Descriptors: Accountability; Educational Practices; Educational Quality; *Educational Vouchers; Expectation; Foreign Countries; *Government Role; Outcomes of Education; Parent Role; *Preschool Education; Quality Control; Young Children Identifiers: United Kingdom EJ587020 UD521534 Vouchers and the Accountability Dilemma: An AFT Policy Brief. Author: Murphy, Dan Availability: Journal Citation: American Educator, v23 n1 p29-37 Spr 1999 Publication Date: 1999 ISSN: 0148-432X Language: English Document Type: Journal articles (080); Reports--Descriptive (141) Journal Announcement: CIJDEC1999 Abstract: Documents and explores three facts about the role of private schools and considers the implications of various approaches to the issue of accountability of private schools for the use of public funds. Describes difficulties posed by the probable regulation of private schools receiving public funds. (SLD) Descriptors: *Accountability; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Federal Aid; Financial Support; Private Schools; Public Schools; *School Choice; State Aid Identifiers: Regulatory Flexibility Descriptive Terms: Policy brief prepared for the American Federation of Teachers. Printed on colored paper. EJ559107 UD520511 New Ways of Education. Author: Finn, Chester E., Jr.; Gau, Rebecca L. Availability: Journal Citation: Public Interest n130 p79-92 Win 1998 Publication Date: 1998-00-00 ISSN: ISSN-0033-3557 Language: English Document Type: Journal Articles (080); Reports (142) Journal Announcement: CIJJUL1998 Abstract: New forms of education have replaced the public-private school dichotomy of the past. The effectiveness of these new structures, such as charter schools and voucher systems, remains unproved, but the national interest in them is undeniable, and their most important contribution may lie in the interest they create in innovation that promises real systemic change. (SLD) Descriptors: Charter Schools; *Educational Change; Educational Innovation; Educational Vouchers; *Elementary Secondary Education; *Private Schools; *Public Schools; *School Restructuring EJ548406 UD520044 Vouchers for Religious Schools. Author: Doyle, Denis P. Availability: Journal Citation: Public Interest n127 p88-95 Spr 1997 Publication Date: 1997-00-00 ISSN: ISSN-0033-3557 Language: English Document Type: Journal Articles (080); Viewpoints (120) Journal Announcement: CIJDEC1997 Abstract: Discusses public policy against using public funds to help minorities attend private religious schools and reviews private school funding as found in other countries (Denmark, Holland, and Australia). Discusses the influence of separation of church and state in justifying the exclusion of private schools for public funding as well as the anti-Catholicism atmosphere in public policy. (GR) Descriptors: *Catholic Schools; Comparative Analysis; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; Inner City; Parochial Schools; Politics of Education; Private Schools; *Public Policy; Public Schools; *School Support; *State Church Separation; Urban Schools Identifiers: Australia; Denmark; Netherlands Descriptive Terms: For related document, see UD 520 043. EJ539138 EA533107 The Voucher Debate: Should Public Money Follow Kids to Private Schools? Author: Saks, Judith Brody Availability: Journal Citation: American School Board Journal v184 n3 p24-28 Mar 1997 Publication Date: 1997-00-00 ISSN: ISSN-0003-0953 Language: English Document Type: Reports (142); Journal Articles (080) Journal Announcement: CIJJUL1997 Abstract: A key public policy question regarding educational vouchers is: Who has the right to spend the huge sums of money involved--those who provide public education, or the students who consume it? Describes the Milwaukee and the Cleveland programs, the legal challenges in which they are involved, and the supporters and opponents of voucher plans. A sidebar examines conflicting research about vouchers. (LMI) Descriptors: Educational Economics; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Politics of Education; *Private Education; *Private School Aid; *School Choice; State Church Separation; *Tuition Grants ED434390 EA030051 School Choice. Institutional Author: Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO.(BBB00544) Availability: ECS Distribution Center, 707 17th Street, Suite 2700, Denver, CO 80202-3427 (Stock No. SI-99-10; subscription is $20.00 per year plus postage and handling and includes six bimonthly publications). Tel: (303) 299-3692; Fax: (303) 296-8332; e-mail: ecs@ecs.org. Journal Citation: The Progress of Education Reform 1999-2001, v1 May 1999 Sponsoring Agency: General Electric Foundation, Ossining, NY. (BBB05142) Publication Date: May 1999 Language: English Pages: 9 Document Type: Collected works--Serials (022); Reports--Evaluative (142) Journal Announcement: RIEMAR2000 Abstract: This publication is the first in a series of reports that examine policy issues in education. It looks at the four major forms of school choice--charter schools, open enrollment, home schooling, and vouchers--and how they are changing the landscape of public education. School choice is one of the fastest-growing innovations in public education, with nearly 1 in 10 American public-school students participating in some form of choice. The report describes how charter schools are becoming increasingly popular throughout the U.S. and how states are meeting demand for these schools. It looks at open enrollment, which allows parents to choose where their children receive their education, and provides a brief history of this practice. An overview of homeschooling includes the racial composition of homeschoolers and the number of homeschooled students. The report discusses voucher programs, which enable parents to send their children to any school of their choice, and outlines why this practice is so controversial. The text closes with the observation that school choice depends on good policy, and it comments on the ground swell of support of school choice. Sidebars in the article offer further information, such as a list of resources that includes Web sites. (RJM) Descriptors: Charter Schools; *Educational Assessment; *Educational Policy; Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Home Schooling; Nontraditional Education; Open Enrollment; *School Choice Descriptive Terms: For volume 1 number 2, see EA 030 037. Geographic Source: U.S.; Colorado ED425126 SP038202 School Choice and Privatization Efforts: A Legislative Survey. Author: Laitsch, Dan Institutional Author: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Washington, DC.(BBB14763) Availability: AACTE Publications, 1307 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005-4701. Publication Date: October 05, 1998 ISBN: 0-89333-171-6 Language: English Pages: 13 Document Type: Reports--Research (143) Journal Announcement: RIEAPR1999 Abstract: Recently, legislators have become interested in school privatization as a tool to increase educational choices, introducing more than 400 bills related to privatization during the 1998 session. The education privatization movement is a compilation of many different efforts to expand the role of private schools in education. The efforts include using public funds directly through grants or scholarships, and indirectly through tax incentives. Through a survey of legislation and a review of available literature, this paper details the current state of privatization efforts. Data collection included a search of the StateNet database (a private database of all bills introduced during the current session in every state legislature and Congress). The search turned up 452 bills related to choice, vouchers, tax credits, and charter schools. The bills identified were categorized by reform, content, sponsor, sponsor's party affiliation, party control of legislature and governor's office, and final status (passed, failed, or vetoed). This report presents an overview of the legislation, then offers case examinations from Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Virginia. An appendix defines relevant terms. (Contains 47 references.) (SM) Descriptors: *Charter Schools; *Educational Legislation; Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; Parent Participation; *Private School Aid; Public Schools; *School Choice; State Legislation; *Tax Credits Identifiers: Arizona; Colorado; Utah; Virginia Geographic Source: U.S.; District of Columbia ED409407 UD031799 How Much Is Too Much? Charters, Vouchers, and Corporate Philanthropy. Policy Alternatives in School Choice and the Economic Foundations of Independent Community-Based Schools. Policy Studies on Education. Author: Ratteray, Joan Davis Institutional Author: Institute for Independent Education, Inc., Washington, DC. Availability: Institute for Independent Education, 1313 North Capitol Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20002 ($10). Publication Date: 1997-00-00 Copy Availibility: EDRS Price MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Language: English Pages: 36 Document Type: Reports (142) Journal Announcement: RIENOV1997 Abstract: In recent years the Institute for Independent Education has begun to study a significant parental response to the lack of options in education. Parents of color and those with low to moderate incomes are creating and supporting independent community-based schools as self-help resources for the educational needs of their children. These schools, community-based in that they are operated by community organizations and in focus on the community, have focused on three major activities in response to rebuilding needed education reform efforts in their communities. They have been responsible for leadership development, educational innovation, and economic revitalization in urban communities throughout the United States. Charter school mandates have become very attractive to the independent community-based schools, and teachers's unions are beginning to support the concept of charter schools. In Michigan, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., independent community-based schools have applied for charter school status. To help support independent schools, many people advocate the use of educational vouchers. A second strategy for developing greater awareness of independent community-based schools is through contractual service agreements in which the school is chosen by competition for a contract. Private enterprise is increasing its role in sponsoring vouchers in the form of scholarships and in providing other sources of support for independent community-based schools. Corporations and community-based independent schools share an interest in developing human beings to their highest potential, so it is logical that they should work together for educational opportunity. (Contains 14 references.) (SLD) Descriptors: *Charter Schools; Community Involvement; *Community Schools; Economic Factors; Educational Change; Educational Finance; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; *Private Financial Support; Private Schools; School Business Relationship; *School Choice; Urban Schools Identifiers: Reform Efforts Level: 1 Geographic Source: U.S.; District of Columbia ED406473 UD031629 Vouchers and Educational Freedom: A Debate. Policy Analysis No. 269. Author: Bast, Joseph L.; And Others Institutional Author: Cato Inst., Washington, DC. Availability: Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007 ($6; $3 each for five or more copies). Publication Date: 1997-03-12 Copy Availibility: EDRS Price MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Language: English Pages: 49 Document Type: Viewpoints (120) Journal Announcement: RIEAUG1997 Abstract: Advocates of educational freedom disagree about whether school vouchers would liberate schools and families and lead to greater freedom of choice or trap private schools in a web of subsidy and regulation that would destroy their independence and quality. In this exchange of opinions, Joseph L. Bast and David Harmer argue that voucher plans would eventually lead to the complete separation of school and state, which would liberate education from bureaucrats and politicians. They argue that vouchers would not subject private schools to excessive regulation and that no greater reform is politically feasible. Finally, they charge, libertarian opponents of vouchers ignore the plight of children in inner-city schools. Douglas Dewy counters that vouchers would not substantially reduce the state's role in education. Indeed, vouchers would create a vast system of government contractors and parents with school stamps, a massive lobby for ever-increasing subsidies. He warns that government money always come with strings attached. (Author) Descriptors: Educational Change; Educational Policy; *Educational Vouchers; Elementary Secondary Education; *Financial Support; Government Role; Inner City; *Private Schools; Public Schools; *School Choice; School Restructuring; *Urban Schools Identifiers: *Reform Efforts; State Role Level: 1 Geographic Source: U.S.; District of Columbia |