Conclusion
Reform efforts within the public school system have not produced adequate results. This is mainly due to the lack of accountability within the public school system. School choice initiatives can establish accountability by offering parents alternatives to geographically mandated public schools. The three structural reform alternatives discussed in this section of the web site address a number of key criticisms of the public school system. However, none of these programs has existed long enough to provide a solid basis for policy decisions.
In order to see the positive effects and viability of charter schools, state governments must provide better provisions (capital) and legislation. The laws surrounding charter schools are intentionally frail. Therefore, states still have some power over charter schools. Charter schools must receive increased state funds and the legislation that addresses charter schools must be tightened in order for the movement to endure in the future. Only when charter schools continue to develop and document their successes and failures will the concerned public be able to gauge and measure charters' effectiveness.
Privatization programs have not shown the results that it has originally promised. The Edison Project has been somewhat successful. The school's facilities are new and updated, and student test scores have improved. However, Edison has yet to control a public school. Presently, the Edison Project runs Charter Schools and Partnership schools. On the other hand, Education Alternatives Inc. has run inner city public schools in both Hartford and Baltimore. Both contracts were ended because the private and public sector could not work as one. In the future, Edison plans to control actual public schools and it will be interesting to see how successful the project will be.
External political pressures have limited voucher programs to include only a bare minimum of eligible underprivileged students. Studies of the effectiveness of voucher programs have been largely inconclusive as a result. Until the courts resolve the constitutionality of vouchers for religious schools and states expand existing programs substantially, the potential effectiveness of vouchers will remain unknown.
Government 375: Educational Reform and Ideology