All Else Equal: Are Public and Private Schools Different?

In the debate over how best to reform public education, private schools are often cited as exemplary models of how privatization works to correct the perceived failings of the public school system. All Else Equal, however, examines 15 years of studies and finds that there is no difference in achievement between students at public and private schools. The authors conclude that rather than looking at the sources of school funding, reformers ought to concentrate on the community in which schools operate as the more useful indicator of scholastic performance and the basis of school reform.