What Do America's "Traditional" Forms of School Choice Teach Us about School Choice Reforms?

The author explores the effectiveness of the two most-established forms of school choice in the United States--choice among public school districts and the choice between public and private schools. She finds that traditional school choice improves the quality of schooling by increasing competition among schools. An additional benefit, the author argues, is that parents who have greater choice are more likely to be involved in their children's schooling. The author concludes that lessons from traditional school choice will be important in analyzing school choice reform.