The Economics of School Choice (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared school voucher programs constitutional, the many unanswered questions concerning the potential effects of school choice will become especially pressing. Contributors to this volume draw on state-of-the-art economic methods to answer some of these questions, investigating the ways in which school choice affects a wide range of issues. Combining the results of empirical research with analyses of the basic economic forces underlying local education markets, The Economics of School Choice presents evidence concerning the impact of school choice on student achievement, school productivity, teachers, and special education. It also tackles difficult questions such as whether school choice affects where people decide to live and how choice can be integrated into a system of school financing that gives children from different backgrounds equal access to resources. Contributors discuss the latest findings on Florida's school choice program as well as voucher programs and charter schools in several other states. The resulting volume not only reveals the promise of school choice, but examines its pitfalls as well, showing how programs can be designed that exploit the idea's potential but avoid its worst effects. With school choice programs gradually becoming both more possible and more popular, this book stands out as an essential exploration of the effects such programs will have, and a necessary resource for anyone interested in the idea of school choice. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared school voucher programs constitutional, the question of what the effects of school choice will be becomes especially pressing. Contributors to this volume draw on state-of-the-art economic methods to investigate how school choice affects a wide range of issues. Combining the results of empirical research with analyses of the basic economic forces underlying local educational markets, this book presents evidence concerning the impact of school choice on student achievement, school productivity, teachers, and special education. It also tackles difficult questions such as whether school choice affects where people decide to live and how choice can be integrated into a system of school financing that gives children from different backgrounds equal access to resources Does public school competition affect teacher quality? -- Eric A. Hanushek and Steven G. Rivkin Can school choice and school accountability successfully coexist? -- David N. Figlio and Marianne E. Page Role of special education in school choice -- Julie Berry Cullen and Steven G. Rivkin School vouchers -- Paul E. Peterson ... [et al.] Introducing school choice to multidistrict public school systems -- Thomas J. Nechyba School vouchers as a redistrobutive device -- Raquel Fernández and Richard Rogerson Neighborhood schools, choice, and the distribution of educational benefits -- Dennis Epple and Richard Romano School choice and school productivity-- Caroline M. Hoxby. Combining the results of empirical research with analyses of the basic economic forces underlying local educational markets, this text presents evidence concerning the impact of school choice on student achievement, school productivity, teachers and special education. Vouchers, charter schools, and other forms of choice have been promoted as a way to improve public schooling, but the justification for that position is largely based on theoretical ideas.