Both public and not-for-profit private schools contract with private vendors for specialized services. Current advocates of the privatization of public education are looking to extend privatization into the areas of management and instruction. Describes experiences of the Edison Project and Educational Alternatives, Inc. Offers advice to school…

Challenges the following assumptions: (1) parental choice will motivate schools to improve programs to compete more effectively for students; (2) private not-for-profit schools will respond to marketplace incentives; (3) research indicates an advantage of private over public organizations; (4) public choice theory promotes school improvement; and…