What these alternative programs all have in common is accountability. There are consequences for these schools if their students do not perform. In the case of vouchers, the students can take their education dollars somewhere else. Similarly, the Edison Project and Sylvan Learning Center will lose their contracts if their students do not learn. Standards are not the problem, and focusing attention on them is a disservice to our children.
Schools can only improve through competition with better schools.
Lisa Snell is an education policy analyst at the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation , a national research organization, which also publishes Reason Magazine . Click here for technical help or to send us feedback . All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this information is provided to you.