Milton Friedman Vindicated

January 30, Sacramento, Calif.—Yesterday was Milton Friedman Day, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may at last be taking a first step toward putting into action the ideas of the late Nobel Laureate and “Father of Modern School Reform.”

One in three California public school students is now in a public school district that has not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward academic proficiency for at least three consecutive years. Those 98 districts enroll more than two million students statewide. The governor vowed earlier this month in his State of the State Address that “California will be the first state to use its powers given to us under this No Child Left Behind Act to turn these districts around.” The official term for those powers is “corrective action.”

The corrective options at Gov. Schwarzenegger’s disposal include replacing staff, reorganizing schools, and even appointing outside experts to oversee operations. Should districts fail to make AYP again next year, some of them could be required to let parents choose better schools for their children. This is the option Dr. Friedman first advocated more than 50 years ago.

Vicki E. Murray , Ph.D is a Senior Policy Fellow in Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute. This feature is excerpted from the Capital Ideas column that she wrote for PRI.