Why some conservatives oppose vouchers
I had an interesting e-mail conversation with Andrew Coulson, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom. The Cato Institute is a Washington D.C.-based public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace. It was founded by the Charles Koch Foundation in 1974; George Will loves it. It should, then, be no surprise to readers of this blog that Coulson and I come at education policy from different points of view, but it is interesting to read his work, including his pieces on why he is opposed to federal voucher programs (not, of course, for the same reasons I am). I asked him if he would write about the subject and he agreed. Before joining Cato, Coulson was senior fellow in education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He serves on the Advisory Council of the E.G. West Centre for Market Solutions in Education at the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom, and has contributed to books published by the Fraser Institute and the Hoover Institution. He is author of “Market Education: The Unknown History.”
By Andrew Coulson
Medical researchers go to a lot of trouble to test a new drug. They record exactly what they’re administering, how often, and in what quantity. They solicit volunteers and