On Nov. 5, voters in three states—Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska—rejected state private school voucher programs.
Private school vouchers are a program where a family can take public dollars to spend on private school tuition. Arguments in favor of a system like this have been made since the 1950s, when famous libertarian economist Milton Friedman argued that allowing school vouchers would improve educational outcomes for children by increasing parental choice, promoting competition among schools, and reducing government inefficiencies.
Friedman’s arguments came under fire in the decades hence, not the least of which in the public policy classic Exit, Voice, and Loyalty, where German Economist Albert Hirschman argues that Friedman overlooks an important mechanism available to parents in struggling schools: their ability to voice their concerns through the democratic process.
Read more at Ohio Capital Journal.
