• David Salisbury and James Tooley, editors, What American Can Learn from School Choice in Other Countries, Washington, D.C.: The Cato Institute, 2005, 236 pages.
RALEIGH – Pardon me the somewhat-extraneous editorial comment, but I am overflowing with good feelings towards the countries of Denmark, the Netherlands, and Australia. For one thing, they have been stalwart supporters of the United States on issues of national security and terrorism, deploying troops and logistical support for the military coalition in Iraq. And for another, they offer American reformers important lessons in how to advance the cause of freedom in another context: education.
Defenders of the government-school monopoly like to suggest that parental choice of schools is a wacky, untested idea. This is entirely false from an international and historical perspective, as a new volume from the Cato Institute demonstrates. Editors David Salisbury and James Tooley have come up with a set of invaluable essays, all of which had their genesis in a conference that Cato held in Washington on the subject about a year ago.
What America Can Learn from School Choice in Other Countries is at its best when filling in the gaps that many proponents and opponents of parental choice likely have in their understanding of the empirical data on the issue.
For example, Denmark has long allowed parents to choose public or private schools and still receive taxpayer funds to help defray much of the cost. Typically, Danish students attending private schools under the choice program cover 80 percent to 85 percent of the tuition with public dollars. Because these dollars follow students to their school of choice, thus giving public schools a strong incentive to compete effectively to retain them, Denmark’s choice program has resulted in a range of public and private schools, and by all accounts is very popular with the public.
There is an interesting contrast between the Danish system and the choice program in the Netherlands, where private schools play a much larger role in the education market – making up about two-thirds of the country’s elementary and secondary enrollment. While in Denmark most parents, even given a subsidized choice, seem satisfied with sending their children to government-owned schools, most Dutch parents see better alternatives in the private sector, either because of academics or because of other aspects such as a religious environment, strong discipline, or proximity. What creates benefits in both countries is the existence of that choice.
Australia’s choice system, which also allows tax dollars to follow students to secular or religious private schools, has a unique element of redistribution. Students attending private schools from poorer areas in the western part of the country receive nearly full funding of their tuition from tax dollars, while those in wealthier areas may recover only a quarter of their tuitions.
Salisbury and Tooley have assembled a wide assortment of scholars in this book. For those who worry that vouchers will endanger the independence of private schools, there are authors in the book who support as well as dismiss this concern, citing international experience. Similarly, some of the authors favor a continued government role in funding education (as I do) while others favor a complete separation of school and state. What’s productive here is that they disagree without being disagreeable, giving plenty of food for thought on both sides.
Perhaps my favorite essay is one by Ludger Woessmann that presents his statistical model of the effect of choice on student achievement. Using international test scores in math, science, and reading, Woessmann found that students scored about half-a-grade higher for each standard deviation of increase in private-school enrollment. Also, he found that if the share of government school spending going to private schools rose by a standard deviation, there was an increase in math performance of 20 percentage points. Finally, using a different school-specific measurement, Woessmann concluded that it wasn’t so much how many students attended private schools but how many did so with public subsidy that led to higher test scores, which likely reflects the extent to which choice programs give poorer students access to better schools (wealthier students would seem more likely to perform well regardless).
I can’t recommend this book too highly for those interested in the school-choice issue – pro or con.
Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation and author of Selling the Dream: Why Advertising is Good Business, to be published in October by Praeger.