Market Education The Unknown History (school choice, public schooling, vouchers)

MARKET EDUCATION: THE UNKNOWN HISTORY

William Raspberry,
The Washington Post:

"Coulson's is a sweeping blow to those of us who keep hoping the system that served earlier generations reasonably well can be helped to overcome the effects of bad policies, inadequate teachers, disengaged parents and indifferent students to perform their magic yet again. He wonders if the magic was ever there."

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Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate in Economics:

"In this unusually well written and thoroughly researched book, Andrew J. Coulson ranges from ancient Greece and Rome to modern America and Japan to document his conclusion that parental choice in a private educational market is a far more effective system for educating children than government-run schools. Readers will find this excellent book instructive whether they agree or disagree with his conclusion."

Market Education combines public opinion data, twenty-five centuries of historical precedents, and the latest research to find out how schools should be organized to best meet the needs of families and citizens. Special emphasis is placed on the relative effectiveness of government-run school systems versus markets of independent and competing schools. All of the major school reform proposals, from national curriculum standards to charter schools and vouchers, are also examined.

Market Education "does not simply point to a few good schools here or there, or to some redeeming qualities of schools, and then hope that they will magically be duplicated. Nor does it propound a single cookie-cutter definition of a 'good' education. Instead, it offers a practical way of bringing responsive and innovative schools into being on a widespread basis; schools adapted to the specific needs of the families they serve, and accessible to all, not just the wealthy." --From the Introduction
This book was officially released in 1999 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and can be ordered directly from the publisher (see telephone number above), via on-line booksellers, or via your local bookstore. Journalists and editors interested in receiving review copies are welcome to call Matt Buckley, managing editor of

Read Reviews in

The Independent Review

History of Education Quarterly (

Education Review

Gerald W. Bracey

The Weekly Standard

The Author Replies

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the Social Philosophy and Policy Center,
at (419) 372-2536.

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