Collegiate School Choice

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(Guest post by Greg Forster)

OCPA’s Perspective has posted my article about America’s vast, longstanding, and badly broken voucher system in higher education:

The fact that we run higher education on a voucher system is one of America’s best-kept secrets. The only thing the colleges are even more eager to cover up is the fact that they’re gaming this system to line their own pockets. Not even a school choice program can make people stop responding to incentives. That’s all the more reason to make sure the programs are well designed.

I argue that “we need a revolution in higher education vouchers similar to the revolution that is now hitting K-12 vouchers in the form of education savings accounts (ESAs).” Your comments are welcome!

3 Responses to Collegiate School Choice

  1. School is a means, not an end in itself. Taxpayers would gain from customer-driven reform of the US K-PhD education industry. The K-12 sector has seen market-driven improvement. Unfortunately for taxpayers and students, college faculty and administrators are articulate, well-paid, and have a lot of free time. This provides simultaneously the incentive and the means to protect their interests in legislative hearing rooms. Perhaps reform will come from overseas competition. Someday, Singapore or Belize will use GATT provisions on trade in services to compel US Federal and State government agencies to accept degrees earned through credit-by-exam for all hiring and promotion decisions.

    Mandatory (on tax-supported schools) credit-by-exam and mandatory (on government employers) acceptance of credits and degrees earned through exam would bust the K-PhD school racket.

    Let competition between education service providers drive the cost of K-PhD credentials down to the cost of books and of grading exams.

  2. School is a means, not an end in itself. Taxpayers would gain from customer-driven reform of the US K-PhD education industry. The K-12 sector has seen market-driven improvement. Unfortunately for taxpayers and students, college faculty and administrators are articulate, well-paid, and have a lot of free time. This provides simultaneously the incentive and the means to protect their interests in legislative hearing rooms. Perhaps reform will come from overseas competition. Someday, Singapore or Belize will use GATT provisions on trade in services to compel US Federal and State government agencies to accept degrees earned through credit-by-exam for all hiring and promotion decisions.

    Mandatory (on tax-supported schools) credit-by-exam and mandatory (on government employers) acceptance of credits and degrees earned through exam would bust the K-PhD school racket.

    Let competition between education service providers drive the cost of K-PhD credentials down to the cost of books and of grading exams.

  3. matthewladner says:

    Great piece!

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