Book Reviews

Rethinking School Choice: Limits of the Market Metaphor. By Jeffrey R. Henig. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994. 277 p. $??.??.

For at least the past decade, Americans have been told that their K-12 public school system is failing, and therefore a major "crisis" is at hand. Declining test scores, poor ratings on international comparisons, illiterate workers, and large numbers of dropouts are used as evidence for this belief. Many contend that a radical restructuring of the educational system is essential, and that given the relative monopoly held by public schools, competition (as driven by educational choice) must play a role.

In Rethinking School Choice, author Jeffrey Henig provides a comprehensive analysis of the "educational choice" movement, noting that choice-type proposals appeal to different audiences for varying reasons (e.g., individuality and personal growth, and community empowerment). One attraction is the premise that choice-driven economic and market forces can solve domestic social problems more reliably, efficiently, and responsively than government planning and intervention (as offered by the current school system). Citing the popular book by John Chubb and Terry Moe, Politics, Markets, and America's Schools (1989), Henig notes that these authors and others believe that market-driven educational choice is the panacea for school reform.

Henig challenges both the diagnosis of a wide-spread educational crisis, and the often proposed remedy of market-oriented choice proposals. Although Henig readily states that improvements are warranted and that educational choice programs have a role to play, he provides a vast array of information to dispute that a completely free market system of educational choice is the primary answer. In such a system, parents would receive vouchers from the government and redeem them at any public or private school in the state with no or limited governmental oversight of either the schools or the process. Henig notes that moving away from "common good" protections provided by governmental entities such as public school boards, to a completely free market-driven system focusing on personal preferences of children and families, is poor public policy with significant negative ramifications. The author, along with many other educational reform leaders, support choice proposals only if they are regulated to some degree (e.g., schools must not discriminate; church and state issues remain separate) and if certain distributive features exist (e.g., higher voucher amounts and transportation provided for low-income families).

The author offers a historical review of educational choice-type initiatives, including an analysis of the political and societal factors which have stifled the voucher concept in the past and which are currently fostering it. Results from various choice-like programs are reviewed, with the conclusion that "neither the failure of governmental intervention nor the success of market-based initiatives can confidently be deduced from the available evidence" (p. 12). Indeed, Henig concludes that where such programs have been successful, it was because of "collective negotiation, public leadership, and authoritative government, rather than from an unleashing of individual interests and market forces" (p. 150). To this end, Henig offers a platform of how educational choice could be used to support school reform efforts, but in which governmental entities play an important role to ensure long term implementation success.

Overall, Henig offers readers a well researched book (43 pages of end notes) covering the key issues of the educational choice debate. This book should be read carefully by both critics and advocates of the issue. The messages conveyed by Henig would be especially relevant for state-level policymakers, K-12 educators, and community members currently engaged in the choice debate. My only editorial criticism is that the author's extensive use of sections and subsections has resulted in repetitious introductory and summative statements. This contributes to the length and will make the book less friendly to many who would benefit from its contents. My hope is that condensed versions of this important work are being prepared for those outside the academic arena.

Louann A. Bierlein Arizona State University

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