Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Rand Research Study) - Hardcover

Hill, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226336514 ISBN 13: 9780226336510

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1997

Synopsis

This is a discussion of the heated debate raging on the American nation's schools, with proposals ranging from imposing national standards to replacing public education altogether with a voucher system for private schools. This study proposes a solution to the problem by finding a middle ground between these extremes. The book seeks to show how contracting would radically change the way schools are operated, keeping them public and accessible to all, and making them better able to meet standards of achievement and equity. Using public funds, local school boards would select private providers to operate individual schools under formal contracts specifying the type and quality of instruction. The authors also show how contracting would free school boards from operating schools, allowing them to focus on improving educational policy; how it would allow parents to choose the best school for their children; and finally, how it would ensure that schools are held accountable and academic standards are met.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

After a decade of efforts to improve American public schools incrementally, the initiative for education reform has shifted to outsiders who propose radical measures.

About the Author:

James W. Guthrie is professor of public policy and education, and director of the Peabody Center for Education Policy at Vanderbilt University.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0226336514
• ISBN 13: 9780226336510
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224