Explain the advantages and disadvantages of privatization using the voucher system of Cleveland and other methods of school choice as an example.

What will be an ideal response?

Privatization is intended to replace bureaucratic and political pressures with those of a competitive marketplace in influencing policy decision making and implementation. Students should discuss how school choice (and particularly the Cleveland voucher system) is an example of how some believe market pressures can influence the outcome of a policy decision. In the case of Cleveland, the proposal was to give $2,500 vouchers to each affected child so as to allow parents a choice in where to send their children to school. These vouchers were valid for public, private, and parochial (faith-based) schools. The intent was to force schools to become more competitive and creative in their approaches as well as to provide enticements for results-based outcomes (as measured by student performance, attendance, participation, test scores, etc.). But vouchers in and of themselves are not the only school choice solution. Some have addressed this problem through “schools of choice,” magnet schools, and charter schools. Of these, charter schools have become the most popular choice throughout the country. But however the policy is designed and implemented, the intent is to force competition, creativity, and improved student performance. Many argue that privatization is the one and only solution to the problem, and others have seen other methods of forcing competition and performance. This has culminated with the standards-based policy known as No Child Left Behind, which goes about influencing school performance through a “carrot-and-stick” method of reward and punishment. Seen as having too many unintended consequences, this has led to new proposals that are focused on allowing states to determine their own specific standards, measurements, and consequences.