ABSTRACT
Sheltering under the broad umbrella of the word choice are a number of policy options that could take quite distinct concrete forms. . . .
While nominally recognized, these differences often are given short shrift in the contemporary debate over education policy. These are matters of detail that, it naturally is assumed, can safely be put off until later. Once we decide whether to move in the direction of choice, specifying its precise form is a simple matter. This has worked to the advantage of those who favor privatization and market-based reforms in at least two ways. It has helped inflate the movement for choice by allowing groups with different basic interests and visions temporarily to coalesce. And it has made it easier for proponents of market-based proposals to sidestep serious questions about whether the institutional and social
frameworks that their models presume can be developed and sustained.
