Encouraging Efficiency, Rewarding Quality: Lessons for School Choice Policy and Practice

There is strong evidence that the fiscal position of states moving forward will require K-12 schooling to become less expensive. States are projected to see spikes in pension contributions for public sector workers and increased expenditures related to Medicaid expansion. While these bills are coming due, the country is also projected to change demographically, increasing the number of dependents (the old and the young) relative to the number of workers contributing taxes into the system (Vincent & Velkoff, 2010). Taxpayer-supported private school choice programs offer a powerful mechanism to create more efficient educational options. This article offers lessons from the private sector that schools of choice and designers of choice programs could leverage to improve the efficiency of the American K-12 education system.