That book proposed education vouchers whereby money would follow children rather than go to local education agencies. Reagan entered the White House in 1980 with an education agenda of vouchers, tuition tax credits, school prayer and the demolition of the federal department of education. In the White House schism, Ed Meese and other conservatives urged Reagan to reject the document. Jim Baker and Mike Deaver prevailed, arguing that while Meese was right, there was too much good stuff in the booklet to campaign on to let it die. In 1980, inspired by Friedman's writing, Chile initiated a national system of vouchers.
Chile also tests kids in grades four and eight and gathers background info on families.
It didn't work. What did work was a government program that provided more money and teacher training to the nation's 900 lowest performing schools. Dour accounts abound. Typical is the commentary of Stephan Thernstrom, Winthrop Professor of History at Harvard University and co-author with his wife Abigail of America in Black and White. We spend more and more money on education each year, but what we have to show for the investment is very much open to question.