And the Clinton administration's reform program is not serious. He wants volunteer tutors to teach kids to read. He wants school uniforms, something best decided by parents and schools. Finally, the president wants more money. This is, of course, the educational establishment's standard mantra.
Private schools cost about half as much as public ones and achieve better results.
Two recent studies have found that children in private Milwaukee schools, funded through a voucher program, do better than those in public institutions. Surveys also suggest that parochial schools more effectively teach comparably disadvantaged student populations. Even these results understate the advantage of private education, since the existing system remains a virtual public monopoly. One should not expect dramatic improvements from the very limited private educational outposts that currently exist. A truly competitive system would reward innovation and success.