School Vouchers…U.S. Should Learn from the Swedish System: Odd Eiken

School Vouchers…U.S. Should Learn from the Swedish System: Odd Eiken

If the U.S. still wants to pursue the idea of school vouchers, it should look to Sweden for answers, writes Odd Eiken, executive vice president of Kunskapsskolan Education, the largest private school provider in Sweden. The former state secretary of schools who helped develop the Swedish voucher system argues that this model is both simple and provides accountability for schools involved.

Inspired by the philosophy of conservative economist Milton Friedman, Sweden in 1993 developed a system “where funding follows the student regardless of their parents’ income.” The voucher system allows every family to choose the right school for a child, “and every student brings with him the same amount of per pupil funding as the cost of the public school in his or her home district,” states Eiken.

Sweden also requires schools that accept vouchers to accept national education standards and allow for their performance to be monitored. Additionally, schools cannot charge students fees beyond the voucher.

The system has proven to be successful, Eiken argues, pointing out that Sweden’s private sector share of students has increased from 1% to 10-15%.

http://www.allgov.com/Opinion_from_the_Right/ViewNews/School_Vouchers__US_Should_Learn_from_the_Swedish_System__Odd_Eiken_110206

necessarily applicable to a society that is a mixture or ethnicities, languages, socioeconomic levels. Just as the Finnish model has been touted lately, a homogeneous society with little variety is not the same experience

If a homogeneous society truly makes it easier to educate students then why was it necessary for a voucher system to be instituted at all, and why has Sweden’s private sector share of students increased from 1% to 10-15% in less than 20 years, i.e. from 1993 - 2010?

easier doesn't mean easy. I'm not even sure I agree that the system is inapplicable based on the circumstances, but easier doesn't mean cakewalk.

will never happen.

The screams from private school charlatans would be too loud