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Sweden's schools follow national educational guidelines so they are more like what we call charter schools in the U.S. than the voucher system some districts ha
by js2 6y ago
Sweden's schools follow national educational guidelines so they are more like what we call charter schools in the U.S. than the voucher system some districts have in the U.S. and what DeVos argues for. Also, Sweden's students perform more poorly now than they did before vouchers were implemented, though of course people argue over the cause of the decline.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/is-sweden-proof-that-school-choice-doesnt-improve-education https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/is-sweden-proof-that-...
- rayiner 6y agoThey’re not what we would call charter schools. For example, you can use school vouchers in Sweden for religious education.
- js2 6y agoIs this statement from the page I linked to wrong then? > In contrast to American private schools, Sweden’s free schools don’t charge tuition — they draw on government funds to operate — and are required to follow Sweden’s national curriculum. They’re more comparable to American charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run.
- rayiner 6y agoI mean I guess what part you’re focused on. The Swedish program is widely called a “voucher” program. It has the essential element of competition: per student funding follows the student. As your quote states, it’s like charter schools rather than tuition-charging private schools in that money doesn’t go through the parents, but directly to schools. But like the De Voss proposal, and unlike American charter schools, Swedish school choice encompasses a much wider variety of schools, including religious schools.