School choice, Milton Friedman edition

Time for History to Repeat Itself—for Good

By Ramblin’ Rose

Writer and philosopher George Santayana stated in 1905: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” When we consider education, that quote might be positive instead of negative. After the American Revolution, parents, not government, determined the how, what, and where of their children’s education. If only that were the state of affairs today. (That is conjecture—contrary to fact—a wish statement.)

In the 1850’s, Massachusetts was the first state to advocate for government-funded and state-controlled public education. A century later, Milton Friedman wrote The Role of Government in Education. He confirmed the role of government in subsidizing the costs of education but not in controlling it. The control meant a loss of parental influence in the system. Of course, the ones who could afford had the choice of private schools for their children. But sadly, the majority had to send their children to government-supported and controlled schools.

Friedman proposed the use of vouchers to encourage competition among schools to encourage innovative and effective instructional strategies that he found lacking in the majority of public schools. He believed that it was critical to separate funding and delivery in education. This reflected the free market principles of consumer choice and competition to achieve the most effective outcomes.

Wisconsin was the first state to approve a state-wide voucher program for parents to “vote with their feet” for the best educational options for their children. Since then, the majority of states have developed programs of vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, and individual tax credits and deductions. Recently, advocates of educational choice suggest Educational Savings Accounts (ESA) that would allow tax dollars to follow the child in a variety of educational options instead of subsidizing only government-fund schools.

In Friedman’s words: "Government, preferably local governmental units, would give each child, through his parents, a specified sum to be used solely in paying for his general education; the parents would be free to spend this sum at a school of their own choice, provided it met certain minimum standards laid down by the appropriate governmental unit. Such schools would be conducted under a variety of auspices: by private enterprises operated for profit, nonprofit institutions established by private endowment, religious bodies, and some even by governmental units."

The majority of parents want the best for their children. Too many schools do not recognize individual differences and/or are unable to provide the means to allow each student to learn in a unique and personal style.

Let us adapt and implement the free market competitive ideals of Friedman for the best of our next generation.

Here's Part I of Friedman's video on school choice:

Part II:

Part III: