When Special Education Goes to the Marketplace: The Case of Vouchers

Abstract

This article examines the role of market-based policies in special education, focusing on the case of voucher programs. It examines the nature of contemporary social reforms, while discussing school choice as the theoretical linchpin of a market model for educational reforms. Moreover, it includes analysis of why the market-driven rationale of vouchers erodes the public functions of special education. Despite their current implementation on a small scale, vouchers have the potential to become a threat to free and appropriate public special education.

Notes

*Not available information.

¹Florida Department of Education, Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice (2009a, b).

² van Lier (2008).

³ Osterstock, Herring, & Buys (2008).

⁴ USDE, Office of Non-Public Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement (2007).

⁵ Cox (2008).

⁶ USDE, Office of Non-Public Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement (2009).

⁷ Estimation of Alliance for School Choice (2009).

¹Percentages are calculated on the data as of fall of 2007, provided by USDE-OSERS, Data Analysis System (2008).

²Florida Department of Education, Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice (2009a, b).

³ USDE, Office of Non-Public Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement (2009).

⁴ Cox (2008).