Publications: Privatization

Demystifying Education Public-Private Partnerships: What Every Policymaker Should Know

Resource Document

Frank Adamson, Anjela Taneja, and Jo Walker

February 27, 2025

picture of two school buses on city street

The Fiscal Impacts of Expanded Voucher Programs and Charter-School Growth on Public Schools: Recommendations for Sustaining Adequate and Equitable School Finance Systems

Policy Brief

David S. Knight and David E. DeMatthews

November 21, 2024

When Schools Spend Less, Do Families Spend More? The Responsiveness of Supplementary Education Spending to Changes in the Local Schooling Context

Resource Document

Thomas Downes and Kieran Killeen

July 4, 2024

photo of graduation cap, diploma, and money

NEPC Review: The Reality of Switchers (EdChoice, March 2024)

NEPC Review

Joshua Cowen

May 3, 2024

Why What Looked Like Good News for Charter Schools Actually Wasn’t

Resource Document

Valerie Strauss

October 13, 2023

Mark Zuckerberg Tried to Revolutionize American Education With Technology. It Didn’t Go as Planned.

Resource Document

Matt Barnum

October 11, 2023

NEPC Review: Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit: Economic Analysis (Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, June 2023)

NEPC Review

David S. Knight

September 27, 2023

photo of filing cabinets with a key attached

We Need Better Education Policy. Summit Public Schools Shows Why.

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Faith Boninger, Anna Noble, and Meenakshi Mani

September 21, 2023

NEPC Review: The Ohio EdChoice Program’s Impact on School District Enrollments, Finances, and Academics (Thomas B. Fordham Institute, December 2022)

NEPC Review

Joshua Cowen

February 21, 2023

NEPC Review: For-Profit Charter Schools: An Evaluation of Their Spending and Outcomes (Thomas B. Fordham Institute, September 2022)

NEPC Review

Joshua Cowen

December 2, 2022

NEPC Review: Fiscal Effects of School Choice: Analyzing the Costs and Savings of Private School Choice Programs in America (EdChoice, November 2021)

NEPC Review

Luis A. Huerta and Steven J. Koutsavlis

March 15, 2022

Profiles of For-Profit and Nonprofit Education Management Organizations: Fifteenth Edition

Research Brief

Gary Miron, Charisse Gulosino, Christopher Shank, Najat Elgeberi, Caryn Davidson, Fanny Hernandez De Alvarez, Brandy Jurdzy, Judith Larsen, Dung Pham, Kelly Ruder, Laura Urdapilleta, and Jessica Urschel

February 25, 2021

Big Claims, Little Evidence, Lots of Money: The Reality Behind the Summit Learning Program and the Push to Adopt Digital Personalized Learning Platforms

Research Brief

Faith Boninger, Alex Molnar, and Christopher Saldaña

June 25, 2020

New Concerns Raised About a Well-Known Digital Learning Platform

Resource Document

Valerie Strauss, Alex Molnar, and Faith Boninger

June 25, 2020

Education Interview of the Month: Christopher Saldaña Interviews Diane Ravitch About Privatization

FYI

Christopher Saldaña and Diane Ravitch

June 16, 2020

Education Interview of the Month: Christopher Saldaña Interviews Frank Adamson About the Privatization of Public Education

FYI

Christopher Saldaña and Frank Adamson

May 19, 2020

NEPC Review: Ripple Effect: How Expanding School Choice Programs Can Lead to More College Graduates and a Stronger Economy (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, January 2020)

NEPC Review

William J. Mathis

March 10, 2020

Investing for "Impact" or Investing for Profit? Social Impact Bonds, Pay for Success, and the Next Wave of Privatization of Social Services and Education

Policy Brief

Martin Carnoy and Roxana Marachi

February 4, 2020

NEPC Review: Beyond the Mirage: How Pragmatic Stewardship Could Transform Learning Outcomes in International Education Systems (June 2019)

NEPC Review

Frank Adamson

October 29, 2019

Education Interview of the Month: Greg Smith Interviews Faith Boninger and Alex Molnar About Personalized Learning and Digital Privatization

FYI

Gregory A. Smith, Faith Boninger, and Alex Molnar

May 14, 2019

Personalized Learning and the Digital Privatization of Curriculum and Teaching

Research Brief

Faith Boninger, Alex Molnar, and Christopher Saldaña

April 30, 2019

How Corporate Interests Are Overtaking Well-Intentioned Goals of Personalized Learning

Resource Document

Valerie Strauss, Alex Molnar, and Faith Boninger

April 30, 2019

Education Interview of the Month: Greg Smith Interviews Mark Warren, Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, and Jonathan Stith About the Educational Justice Movement

FYI

Gregory A. Smith, Mark R. Warren, Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, and Jonathan Stith

March 26, 2019

Education Interview of the Month: Greg Smith Interviews Suzanne Eckes and Julie Mead About Privatization and Discrimination

FYI

Gregory A. Smith, Suzanne E. Eckes, and Julie F. Mead

January 22, 2019

Education Interview of the Month: Greg Smith Interviews Rick Mintrop and Miguel Órdenes on School Privatization in Chile

FYI

Gregory A. Smith, Rick Mintrop, and Miguel Órdenes

December 18, 2018

How School Privatization Opens the Door for Discrimination

Policy Brief

Julie F. Mead and Suzanne E. Eckes

December 6, 2018

Education Interview of the Month: Greg Smith Interviews Noliwe Rooks on School Segregation

FYI

Gregory A. Smith and Noliwe Rooks

November 15, 2018

NEPC Review: Is Public Schooling a Public Good? An Analysis of Schooling Externalities (Cato Institute, May 2018)

NEPC Review

Doris A. Santoro

June 26, 2018

What Might Happen If School Vouchers and Privatization of Schools Were to Become Universal in the U.S.: Learning from a National Test Case—Chile

Policy Brief

Ernesto Treviño, Rick Mintrop, Cristóbal Villalobos, and Miguel Órdenes

June 7, 2018

Education Interview of the Month: Greg Smith Interviews Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos on Education Savings Accounts

FYI

Gregory A. Smith and Oscar Jiménez-Castellanos

February 14, 2018

Our Children Deserve Better: A Call to Resist Washington’s Dangerous Vision for U.S. Education

FYI

Education Deans for Justice and Equity

September 6, 2017

NEPC Review: New York Charter Schools Outperform Traditional Selective Public Schools: More Evidence that Cream-Skimming is Not Driving Charters' Success (Manhattan Institute , March 2017)

NEPC Review

Sarah Cordes

May 9, 2017

NEPC Review: Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, March 2017)

NEPC Review

Benjamin R. Shear

April 25, 2017

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2017

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Gary Miron, Charisse Gulosino, Christopher Shank, Caryn Davidson, Michael K. Barbour, Luis A. Huerta, Sheryl Rankin Shafer, Jennifer King Rice, and David Nitkin

April 11, 2017

Dismantling Public Education: Turning Ideology into Gold

Resource Document

Alex Molnar

March 1, 2017

Virtual Schools Report 2016: Directory and Performance Review

Research Brief

Gary Miron and Charisse Gulosino

April 20, 2016

The Business of Charter Schooling: Understanding the Policies that Charter Operators Use for Financial Benefit

Research Brief

Bruce D. Baker and Gary Miron

December 10, 2015

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2015: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Luis A. Huerta, Michael K. Barbour, Gary Miron, Sheryl Rankin Shafer, and Charisse Gulosino

March 10, 2015

Review of The State Education Agency: At the Helm, Not the Oar

NEPC Review

Peter W. Cookson, Jr.

June 17, 2014

The Lost Opportunity of the Common Core State Standards

Resource Document

Kevin G. Welner

March 26, 2014

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2014: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Luis A. Huerta, Jennifer King Rice, Sheryl Rankin Shafer, Michael K. Barbour, Gary Miron, Charisse Gulosino, and Brian Horvitz

March 4, 2014

Profiles of For-Profit and Nonprofit Education Management Organizations: Fourteenth Edition – 2011-2012

Research Brief

Gary Miron and Charisse Gulosino

November 26, 2013

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2013: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Gary Miron, Luis A. Huerta, Jennifer King Rice, Larry Cuban, Brian Horvitz, Charisse Gulosino, and Sheryl Rankin Shafer

May 2, 2013

NEPC Review: The Louisiana Recovery School District: Lessons for the Buckeye State (Thomas B. Fordham Institute, January 2012)

NEPC Review

Kristen L. Buras

March 20, 2012

Privatization, Politics, and Policymaking in Public Education

Resource Document

Alex Molnar

March 1, 2012

Profiles of For-Profit and Nonprofit Education Management Organizations: Thirteenth Annual Report - 2010-2011

Research Brief

Gary Miron, Jessica Urschel, Mayra A. Yat Aguilar, and Breanna Dailey

January 6, 2012

Profiles of Nonprofit Education Management Organizations: 2009-2010

Research Brief

Gary Miron and Jessica Urschel

December 15, 2010

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: Twelfth Annual Report - 2009-2010

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Gary Miron, and Jessica Urschel

December 9, 2010

NEPC Review: They Spend WHAT? The Real Cost of Public Schools (March 2010)

NEPC Review

Vaughn Altemus

May 5, 2010

Schools Without Diversity: Education Management Organizations, Charter Schools, and the Demographic Stratification...

Research Brief

Gary Miron, Jessica Urschel, William J. Mathis, and Elana Tornquist

February 5, 2010

Profiles of Nonprofit Education Management Organizations: 2008-2009

Research Brief

Gary Miron and Jessica Urschel

October 15, 2009

Profiles of For-Profit Educational Management Organizations: 2008-2009

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Gary Miron, and Jessica Urschel

September 14, 2009

Private Schooling in the U.S.: Expenditures, Supply, and Policy Implications

Research Brief

Bruce D. Baker

August 18, 2009

NEPC Review: The Fiscal Impact of Tax-Credit Scholarships in Montana (February 2009)

NEPC Review

Luis A. Huerta

June 22, 2009

The Neovoucher: A Kissing Cousin in Disguise

Resource Document

Kevin G. Welner

June 1, 2009

NEPC Review: When Private Schools Take Public Dollars: What’s the Place of Accountability in School Voucher Programs? (Thomas B. Fordham Institute, March 2009)

NEPC Review

Ernest R. House

April 15, 2009

Legislature's Vouchers Report is Based on Smoke and Mirrors

Resource Document

Kevin G. Welner

December 24, 2008

Profiles of Nonprofit Education Management Organizations: 2007-2008

Research Brief

Gary Miron and Jessica Urschel

December 23, 2008

NEPC Review: Markets vs. Monopolies in Education: A Global Review of the Evidence (September 2008)

NEPC Review

Clive Belfield

September 30, 2008

Under the Voucher Radar

Resource Document

Kevin G. Welner

September 3, 2008

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2007-2008

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Gary Miron, and Jessica Urschel

July 30, 2008

A Guide to Contracting Out School Support Services: Good for the School? Good for the Community?

Policy Brief

Lorna Jimerson and William J. Mathis

March 31, 2008

The Privatization Infatuation

Legacy Publication

Kevin G. Welner and Alex Molnar

February 20, 2008

NEPC Review: A School Privatization Primer for Michigan School Officials, Media and Residents (Mackinac Center, June 2007)

NEPC Review

Clive Belfield

February 19, 2008

Who Chooses Schools, and Why?

Policy Brief

Natalie Lacireno-Paquet and Charleen Brantley

January 7, 2008

NEPC Review: Are Private High Schools Better Academically Than Public High Schools? (October 2007)

NEPC Review

Jaekyung Lee

December 12, 2007

NEPC Review: The ABC's of School Choice (September 2007)

NEPC Review

Christopher Lubienski

September 24, 2007

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2006-2007

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, David R. Garcia, Gary Miron, and Shannon Berry

August 1, 2007

NEPC Review: State Takeover, School Restructuring, Private Management, and Student Achievement in Philadelphia (February 2007)

NEPC Review

Derek C. Briggs

May 7, 2007

NEPC Review: On the Public-Private School Achievement Debate (August 2006)

NEPC Review

Christopher Lubienski and Sarah Lubienski

August 30, 2006

An Analysis of the 2005 National Technology Plan: Better for Business than for Children

Policy Brief

Patricia H. Hinchey

January 1, 2006

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2005-2006

Research Brief

Alex Molnar and David R. Garcia

January 1, 2006

Public Schools Private Markets

Resource Document

October 1, 2005

The Future of Teacher Education and Teaching: Another Piece of the Privatization Puzzle

Resource Document

Patricia H. Hinchey

October 1, 2005

A Lucrative Brand of Tutoring Grows Unchecked

Resource Document

April 4, 2005

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2004-2005

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, David R. Garcia, Carolyn Sullivan, Brendan McEvoy, and Jamie Joanou

April 1, 2005

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2003-2004

Research Brief

Alex Molnar

January 1, 2004

Time To Ask Some Critical Questions About "Dream Schools"

Legacy Publication

Harold Berlak

January 1, 2004

Edison Schools Accepts Buyout

Resource Document

November 13, 2003

Comparison of Achievement Results for Students Attending Privately Managed and Traditional Schools in Six Cities

Resource Document

October 1, 2003

No Student Left Unsold

Research Brief

Alex Molnar

January 1, 2003

Education Tax Credits: No Net Benefit to Arizona's Impoverished Students

Policy Brief

Kevin G. Welner

January 1, 2003

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2002-2003

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Glen Wilson, and Daniel Allen

January 1, 2003

Public Schooling for Profit

Legacy Publication

May 26, 2002

Arizona Report Finds Poorest Gain Little from Tax Credits

Resource Document

April 10, 2002

The Market in Theory Meets the Market in Practice: The Case of Edison Schools

Policy Brief

Gerald W. Bracey

January 1, 2002

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Companies: 2001-2002

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Glen Wilson, Melissa Restori, and John Hutchinson

January 1, 2002

Tuition Tax Credits Can't Be Credited for Helping Poor

Legacy Publication

Alex Molnar and Glen Wilson

January 1, 2002

What's in a Name? The Corporate Branding of America's Schools

Research Brief

Alex Molnar

January 1, 2002

The Equity Impact of Arizona's Education Tax Credit Program: A Review of the First Three Years (1998-2000)

Research Brief

Glen Wilson

January 1, 2002

Edison Schools Perform Poorly Nationwide

Resource Document

December 18, 2001

Let the Buyer Beware

Research Brief

Peter W. Cookson, Jr., Alex Molnar, and Katie Embree

January 1, 2001

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Companies: 2000-2001

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Jennifer Morales, and Alison Vander Wyst

January 1, 2001

Buy Me! Buy Me!

Research Brief

Alex Molnar and Joseph A. Reaves

January 1, 2001

Teachers as Grantseekers: The Privatization of the Urban Public School Teacher

Resource Document

February 1, 2000

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Companies: 1999-2000

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Jennifer Morales, and Alison Vander Wyst

January 1, 2000

Commercialism@School.com

Research Brief

Jennifer Morales and Alex Molnar

January 1, 2000

Colonizing Our Future: The Commercial Transformation of America's Schools

Legacy Publication

Alex Molnar

January 1, 2000

Chronology of Edison Project Funding

Research Brief

Alex Molnar

January 1, 1999

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Companies: 1998-1999

Research Brief

Alex Molnar, Jennifer Morales, and Alison Vander Wyst

January 1, 1999

Cashing in on Kids

Research Brief

Alex Molnar

January 1, 1999