This policy study explores origins of part 6.1 of "Bill 34" ("School Amendment Act, 2002") and its impacts on the institutional behaviour of two public school districts in British Columbia. Part 6.1 permits school districts to raise funds through for-profit school district business companies (SDBC). The analysis found several…

Two radical ideas evolving from the school choice movement are teachers in private practice and charter schools. Private practice appeals to entrepreneurial teachers who offer districts the best bet for accountability. Under a charter school initiative, a state allows enterprising people to own and operate their own public schools. Advantages,…

Public debate about school choice is often polarized between those who favor and oppose total free markets in education. However, the serious intellectual work on choice focuses on more moderate alternatives that involve a mixture of public and private accountability. A regulated market model of educational accountability would mix government…

Educational systems worldwide still continue to rely heavily on public sources of funding. Nearly 80% of the expenditure on higher education comes from public sources in OECD countries; the share is even larger in developing countries. There is a concerted effort in many countries to reduce the reliance on state funding and move towards…