Public and Private Education in America: Examining the Facts

Cobb (education, Univ. of Connecticut; Fundamentals of Statistical Reasoning in Education) and Glass (National Education Policy Ctr.) weigh 32 questions related to K–12 education, grouped under six topics: private vs. public; school choice; charter schools; standards, accountability, and assessment; teaching and learning; and school environment. The authors embrace objectivity, representativeness, and validity in education research, but they admit that the social constructs defining education make hard data elusive. A great deal rides on the answers, however. Their short answers (e.g., public schools perform as well as private schools) precede in-depth discussion of the facts behind the conclusions. International peer comparisons and political and corporate involvement are critically examined. The authors recognize that much debate comes down to tensions between liberty and equality, the individual vs. society. This volume’s evidence—carefully collected, sorted, and assessed for statistical accuracy—is especially important for public schools, at a moment when education is increasingly viewed as a market commodity fostering competition—arguably threatening goals of inclusion, diversity, and democratic solidarity.