Richard Epstein advocates the same type of radical decentralization of education that I proposed in my last Wall Street Journal article.
no one knows how to develop standards for education that match the precise ones in place for today’s industrial products. . . .
At root, educational success depends upon the distinctive interaction between a responsive student and a dedicated teacher. . . .
The more sensible approach, therefore, is to follow economist Friedrich Hayek’s lead: Push hard toward decentralization, so that different groups can take their crack at developing integrated K-12 educational programs that might work, precisely because they are fueled by competitive forces. Let’s remove the fetters that local governments impose on charter schools. Let’s expand the use of vouchers, without onerous government conditions. Let’s encourage the formation of bottom-up education programs that build off a strong home-schooled base.
