
Andrew J. Coulson
Journal of School Choice 3:31-54
2009
Would large-scale, free-market reforms improve educational outcomes for American children? Â This question cannot be reliably answered by looking exclusively at domestic evidence, much less by looking exclusively at existing “school choice” programs. Â Though many such programs have been implemented around the United States, none has created a truly free and competitive education marketplace, being too small, too restriction laden, or both. Â To understand how genuine market forces affect school performance, we must cast a wider net, surveying education systems from all over the globe. Â The present paper undertakes such a review, assessing the results of decades of international research comparing market and government provision of education and explaining why these international experiences are relevant to the United States.
The full paper can be accessed here.
