Fall 2002
The fall 2002 issue of this journal contains three articles of potential interest to education policy makers, practitioners and propeller heads. In "The Promise and Pitfalls of Using Imprecise School Accountability Measures," Thomas J. Kane and Douglas O. Staiger discuss the difficulty and precariousness of basing education accountability systems on relatively small and evanescent shifts in high-stakes test scores. In "How Vouchers Could Change the Market for Education," Derek Neal contends that under-regulated vouchers could give rise to new private schools that, while satisfying parents, would be socially harmful (e.g., a "Klan Academy"). In "School Vouchers: A Critical View," Helen Ladd argues that school choice can do some good but that widespread use of vouchers is not apt to alleviate the urgent education problems of disadvantaged kids and may do some harm. On the whole, not a very upbeat collection! If you need a downer, surf to http://www.aeaweb.org/jep/contents/ and you can read these semi-technical essays for yourself (though only if you're a subscriber). For subscription information, see http://www.aeaweb.org/subscribe.html.
