The following episode of the Cato Daily Podcast is presented for your consideration and comments.
“The number of states with zero school choice options gets smaller every year. Bob Bowdon of Choice Media evaluates the state of educational freedom for children in the United States.”
As an advocate of parental choice and control in education, I am pleased by many of the developments described. Much remains to be done, though. This is especially the case for the reform I consider ideal – linking funds to students, not schools. If there must be universal public funding of education (a debatable issue that I won’t take up here), I believe that funds should follow kids, and parents should be able to freely choose from accredited education providers. Furthermore, public education should be an opt-in choice, not the default. Opening the market in this way would spur innovation, increased efficiency, and more responsiveness to consumer (parent) needs and desires. Better schools will attract more students and more funds. Worse schools will not. Competition would eventually weed out incompetency.
