Robert C. Enlow, Milton & Rose Friedman FoundationMarch 2004
You may not be surprised to learn that, according to this review of various school choice programs, none entirely lives up to Milton Friedman's vision of what a pure, market-based voucher system should be. But two come close: Florida's McKay Scholarship program, which gives vouchers to disabled students to use at any school in Florida and Arizona's Tax Credits for Student Tuitioning Organizations, which gives a credit to taxpayers who donate money to private organizations providing vouchers. These and other school choice programs were evaluated by Robert C. Enlow for the Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation and graded on whether they overly restrict student eligibility by imposing academic or income restrictions or program-scope restrictions (i.e., by limiting which students are eligible for vouchers). The ideal program, of course, would impose none of these restrictions, give all students vouchers for the full amount that is expended per-pupil in the public schools, and let students use them at any school, regardless of religion, tuition, or exclusivity. The McKay Scholarship program, which received the best overall grade, was marked down only because it's limited to disabled students. The Arizona program was marked down because the state limits the amount of money coming into the system, thus restricting the program's size and scope. The top five also include two little-known programs that have existed for over a century in Vermont and Maine that provide "to students in small towns that do not have local schools at their grade levels" a voucher usable at any public or non-religious private school in or out of state. If you're not a school choice purist, you may not entirely agree with the grading scale, but this report offers an interesting comparison of the various choice programs. Find it at http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/news/2004-03-15.html.
