Routledge Privatizing Educational Choice: Consequences for Parents, Schools, and Public Policy

Controversies over the merits of public and private education have never been more prominent than today. This book evaluates public and private schooling, especially in regard to choices families must make for their children.While choice among publics schools is widely advocated today by families and states, public support for private education - including vouchers, tax credits, charter schools, and private contracting - is politically controversial. The authors accessibly describe what research shows as to the effects - for communities and children - of these approaches. They move beyond school choice to show how other factors - most notably the family - have a strong effect on a child's educational success. The book helps educators and parents better understand the rapidly changing educational environment and the important choices they make in educating the nation's children. Review “…an extremely well-organized and well thought-out introduction into the conceptual issues of privatization in education and the framework of educational markets….I recommend this book to anyone who is seriously interested in the economics of education.” ―Gerhard Glomm, University of Indiana, in the Economics of Education Review “Privatizing Educational Choice provides a wealth of information not usually present in discussions of choice, vouchers, charters, or other aspects of educational reform. People interested in the issues of choice and privatization will find it a handy book to have on the shelf.” ―Teachers College Record About the Author Clive Belfield, associate director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at the Teachers College, Columbia University; is the author most of Education Privatization: Causes, Consequences, and Planning Implications (2004). Henry Levin, director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, is co-author, with Belfield, of The Economics of Higher Education (2003).