Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Educational reform is a recurring national topic among politicians, parents, and students. After an extensive two-year study (demonstrated by an excellent ``Notes'' section), the author focuses on two areas of reform--the private sector in the educational system, and choice within public/private educational systems. Both these areas become mutually inclusive at several points in the discussion, which, the author states, is presented primarily for those persons who can make a difference--state legislators, state/local educational officials. The contracting out of all or part of the educational services is suggested as the best use of privatization; educational choice through the use of the voucher system is discussed thoroughly. Lieberman brings both areas of reform together in his theory that the best approach to educational reform at the elementary and secondary levels would be the use of a contract between the parents and the educational provider of choice, for a mutually agreed-upon outcome for each individual student, thus providing a system responsive to the needs of each student--which is the basic premise of the educational reform movement. For informed laypersons as well as educators and public officials.-- A. R. Huggins, Memphis State Univ. Libs. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Once again Lieberman has challenged educational reformers to consider alternative approaches that defy the conventional and undermine the status quo. In a follow-up to his highly provocative critique of the excellence movement (Beyond Public Education, Ch, Sep '86), he continues to attack public education as an inefficient monopoly controlled by the public sector and calls for the private sector to take it over and for parents/students to be allowed choices of schools, teachers, and courses. Lieberman, an experienced school district negotiator and consultant for education agencies, provides a penetrating analysis of the pros and cons of privatization and educational choice. He examines various ways of switching from government service delivery to private, including vouchers, home schooling, contracting, load shedding, and franchising. He traces the development, consequences, and rationale for each of these modes of privatization, exploring professional and ethical issues they raise as well as questions of competition, comparative costs, and evaluation of outcomes. He advances the potential of vouchers for educational reform, supporting them on issues of competition, religious freedom, social conflicts, taxpayer costs, and civil rights. He concludes that the contractual approach to education is consistent with marketplace practices, minimizes interest groups, and offers the best hope for educational reform. This well-written, fully documented work is required reading for anyone concerned with the direction educational reform should take. F. X. Russo University of Rhode Island

Booklist Review

Lieberman examines the U.S. educational choice movement in depth, offering fuel for the fires of both supporters and opponents of the concept that parents and children should be allowed to choose the providers of the children's education. He also discusses such options as vouchers, contracting-out services, franchised learning centers, home schooling, and "load shedding," which involves removing governmental financial support of education. He provides case studies of the use of choice-enabling techniques, considers how and why they have worked or not worked, predicts problems, and offers solutions. His discussion is so comprehensive as to be most likely beyond the patience of many interested laypersons, but he should be read by anyone taking a leadership position on either side of the educational-choice debate. Notes; to be indexed. --Richard Mills