This report suggests that organized opponents of tax-supported school vouchers purposely issue inaccurate statements about parental school choice, suggesting that their widespread efforts seriously contaminate discussion of this policy issue. Section one suggests that a "big lie" strategy is being used by organized school voucher…

This article offers an explanation and economic rationale for the failure of vouchers to be generally accepted by the public, suggesting that public schools are in fact a local public good. The reason economists fail to notice this is they look exclusively to the educational activity of the schools. Education is actually a private good, being both…

The Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup polls have been sampling public opinion about U.S. public schools for over 25 years. This book presents selected findings of the annual polls, with a focus on public perceptions of educational finance, school effectiveness, educational reform, discipline, and school choice. Chapter 1 presents data that dispute the common…

Discusses policies of choice and diversity in school provision in the United Kingdom and the United States. Outlines common elements of the context within which these policies have emerged. Highlights points of contrast between policy developments in the two countries. Interprets contrasts in terms of differences in systems of governance and…

Progress on school choice in the statehouse and courtroom during 2002 set the stage for ambitious 2003 legislative agendas in many states and the U.S. Congress. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that voucher programs do not violate the Constitution, even when participating schools are overwhelmingly religious. Research supporting choice has grown…

This paper asserts that government responsibilities in education and the strong connection of Americans with their public schools are being tested, as a network of Religious Right groups, free-market economists, ultraconservative columnists, and others use vouchers as a vehicle to achieve their ultimate goal of privatizing education. Their…

A special advisory and its "Checklist for Action" from the CASE National Task Force on Higher Education and the Public Interest is reprinted. The advisory explains how the Task Force has laid the groundwork for action and what its members propose as higher education's steps toward improved performance and communication. (MLW)

The school choice movement is gaining ground. Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school or voucher legislation. Public approval of school choice continues to grow, with approximately half of the respondents in a 2000 nationwide poll favoring vouchers for private and religious schools. A survey conducted for the…

Argues from a modified libertarian position that diversity and choice in school education are desirable unless some convincing argument and evidence can be shown that the costs greatly outweigh the benefits and any costs incurred cannot be reduced or overcome by limited state intervention. (MJP)

For the last 10 years, polling data have recorded a consistent decline in the American citizen's support for public education. While public schools experienced an 8 percent decline in enrollment between 1968 and 1978, private school enrollment grew by 12 percent. The decline in quality of public education over the last 50 years appears strongly…