Part 1: Introduction and Richard Vedder

Part 2: John Merrifield

Part 3: Questions and Answers

American children learn less than they did 30 years ago, and even where there are signs of improvement, they are small. Many high school graduates—90 percent of whom attended government-operated public schools—lack the skills needed in today’s knowledge-intensive workplace. Parents and educators have long recognized the shortcomings of the public school system, but their efforts to reform it have failed. Are school vouchers and charter schools the answer? What about teacher-owned schools? What other reforms might make schools more innovative and accountable to parents? Education experts Richard Vedder and John Merrifield examined new strategies for achieving educational excellence.