ABSTRACT
In a nation committed to free enterprise and an entrepreneurial spirit, privatization is an appealing education reform vehicle. However, a tension often exists between education’s dual purposes of enhancing individual well-being and ensuring an educated citizenry essential in a democracy. Some options to increase private investment in education, such as unregulated voucher plans, favor individual interests over collective concerns. Other options, such as public school contracts with companies for targeted instruction, retain public control and accountability. This chapter reviews three strategies of private involvement in education, cites lessons learned, and illuminates value conflicts surfaced by the school privatization movement.
