Vouchers and Privatizing Schools

Should Schools be Privatized?

I just finished reading an article entitled Public Schools: Make Them Private, by Milton Friedman – http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-023.html and was struck by how corrupt America would become if the public school system were to become private. Turning our schools into for-profit private enterprises would truly be a nightmare, reminiscent of an Ayn Rand novel. Friedman made several points in his article that are worth discussing further.

First of all, Friedman believes that each state should have a voucher system where parents have complete freedom to choose where their child attends school. Let’s not rush into anything too fast! Remember that there has been little research done on the use of vouchers and the studies that do support privatizing schools are usually funded by policy centers that would gain a lot if vouchers did become popular. A 2005 study conducted by Columbia University found no significant difference in charter school performance compared to public school performance.

Next, Friedman states that the quality of schooling is far worse today than it was in 1955. I am not sure how he came up with this statement since accountability in the 1950’s was scarce. Most schools today are performing much more effectively and students are graduating at a much higher rate then ever before. Students with disabilities and minority children are also better off today than other time in history. Fifty years ago schools did not have special education programs and segregation was fierce. Current school systems are more accommodating and are able to meet the needs of every type of learner.

Another point made by Friedman is that an improved educational system can limit the harm to our social stability from a permanent and large underclass. I agree with him on this point, but disagree that vouchers is the answer to creating a less stratified society. The biggest problem with vouchers is that they take money away from schools that need it the most. If everyone was given a voucher there would still be lower performing schools and inequalities would become even greater. Parents that had the means to determine the best schools would have an advantage and poorer students would still be at a disadvantage.

If a school is failing its students then I do believe parents should have the right to send their children to a better performing school. However, public money should stay public. Parents should be able to send students to magnet schools or other community schools, which are public, that can better serve the needs of learners. Also keep in mind that not every public school is failing and I think we need to zero in on why certain schools are underperforming. Then we need to give those schools extra support and the tools they need to restructure curriculums, hire new teachers and adopt new materials. Punishing schools is never going to make them perform better. We also need to examine ways to improve all public schools as a whole. Higher qualifications for teachers, longer school days/years, increased funding and adding family educational opportunities would improve students’ performance immensely.

For more info on voucher systems check out: http://www.physorg.com/news158487900