Evaluating Privatization

Privatization in education can be judged against four criteria, each with a case for and a case against. This chapter works through all four: how much freedom families have to choose a school and how that choice holds schools accountable, whether private providers use resources efficiently, whether the system is fair to every kind of student, and whether schooling still holds a society together. A final article widens the lens from privatization to the roles schools play in society at large.