Letters

To the Editor:

Essayist Ted Fish is wrong when he says that no study by an objective researcher with a rock-solid methodology about vouchers exists ( "A Tentative Hope for Vouchers," Commentary, Oct. 30, 2002). He needs to read When Schools Compete: A Cautionary Tale by Edward B. Fiske and Helen F. Ladd, published in 2000.

In 1989, New Zealand granted all public schools complete operational autonomy and eliminated attendance boundary lines under a plan called Tomorrow's Schools. Parents were given the right to apply to any school they wanted, including parochial schools. Vouchers followed students to their schools of choice. In one fell swoop, New Zealand created the kind of educational marketplace...