Private Citizenship and School Choice

Abstract

The fuzzy nature of the current debate over choice may not be terribly new, reflecting inevitable tensions between private and public goals for education. The dramatic social geographic shifts since World War II, though, may have changed what is now designated "private " and "public" to such an extent that a new public-private arrangement has evolved. This "private citizenship"provides a needed context in which the choice debate can be better understood and productively redirected. The article suggests the origin of private citizenship in recent historical developments, identifies some of its key characteristics, and begins to evaluate its application to school choice.