On Mar 16, 2008, at 6:39 AM, Vitaliy wrote:

> Do you agree with my assertion that "competition in a free market  
> benefits
> consumers"?
>
> If so, explain what makes the business of educating individuals so  
> different
> from other businesses.

Lack of the ability to reject one product and try another "instead."   
Lack of objective and well-agreed upon ways to measure the results.  
(ok, it's not THAT different than businesses who are all-the-time  
criticized for having too short-term an outlook.  "Let me see your  
plans for the next 13 years for guaranteeing good profits in 20  
years.")  Snake oil and "corruption" - "bring your vouchers, I mean  
kids, here, and our program of military discipline / religious  
indoctrination / new age spiritualism / modern educational methods /  
old fashioned educational methods will surely ensure that your child  
will become a doctor / lawyer / ceo / wonderful person / well  
adjusted conforming member of society / intellectual revolutionary /  
wealthy / happy."

It might be amusing to see the results of competition fierce enough  
that schools started offering "satisfaction guaranteed" refunds going  
back a couple of years.  I don't know what makes parents "satisfied"  
with their children's education, and I don't think other parents do  
either.  Usually the "best" you can hope for is to be so obviously  
DIS-satisfied that you try something dramatically different.   
Although by that time it is frequently too late, and you're "fixing"  
instead of "educating."

(And don't get me started on the funding model of US private  
universities, either.  Where an endowment sufficiently large to offer  
more financial aid is seen as a good excuse to raise fees...)

BillW

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