NZ experience with school choice in new book

1 June 2005

NZ experience with school choice featured in new book by prestigious US think tank

A new book, from well-known US think tank Cato, which looks at freedom of choice in education around the world, highlights New Zealand's experiences.

The book, What America Can Learn from School Choice in Other Countries (Cato, May 2005) uses different countries' experiences to find out what school choice policies are most effective and what policies will promote the widest selection of educational opportunities for the largest number of children.

The New Zealand chapter was written by Norman LaRocque, policy advisor to the Education Forum, an education advocacy and research group of teachers, academics and business people who support school choice.

Mr LaRocque said New Zealand's experiences with limited forms of school choice in the 1990s were widely regarded overseas as brave moves towards education freedom that were unfortunately wound-back before having a realistic chance to fully show their strengths.

"New Zealand's story in this book helps to show the wide and growing reach of school choice activity and research around the world - work that is building every year," Mr LaRocque said.

The book also includes chapters from several eminent school choice scholars, including Professors James Tooley (England) and John Merrifield (USA) and Dr Ludger Woessmann (Germany).

The book is available at http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&pid=1441247.

An Education Forum briefing paper on the New Zealand chapter is downloadable as a PDF document at http://www.educationforum.org.nz/documents/policy/briefing_no_12.pdf.

ENDS

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