Market model assists education

ACROSS the English-speaking world, especially in England, the US and Australia, school choice has reached a tipping point where governments of all political persuasions are embracing autonomy, diversity and parental choice in education.

While lagging some years behind overseas, it is also the case that Australian state and federal governments, at least in terms of rhetoric, are embracing school choice by introducing programs to give government schools increased flexibility and autonomy.

While opposed by self-serving groups such as the Australian Education Union, which appears more concerned about maintaining its stranglehold over government schools than lifting standards, the consensus is that autonomy and choice strengthen outcomes and better serve school communities.

Research by Gary Marks, at the Australian Council for Educational Research, concludes that Catholic and independent schools outperform government schools even after adjusting for socio-economic background.

Marks's work is supported by two researchers at Curtin University who, in a recent paper published in The Australian Economic Review, conclude that non-government schools achieve higher results compared with government schools even after differences in schools ICSEA (a measure of socio-economics) are taken into account.

A significant characteristic of non-government schools, compared with state schools, is that they have greater control over staffing, budgets, curriculum and school culture. The fact that state governments are allowing state schools to enjoy similar freedoms proves how beneficial and effective autonomy can be.

Overseas research by Ludger Woessmann and Eric Hanusek also concludes that autonomy, diversity and choice are characteristics of stronger-performing education systems as measured by international tests such as the Program for International Student Assessment.

In the context of the commonwealth-commissioned school funding review, chaired by David Gonski, it is also significant that research suggests that one of the characteristics of stronger-performing education systems is the existence of publicly funded non-government schools.

As argued years ago by the late Milton Friedman, instead of lowering standards or increasing disadvantage, a more market-driven approach to education, characterised by diversity, autonomy and choice, leads to stronger outcomes.