Better schools and breakfast cereals: School choice as consumer choice

Universal school choice programs are rapidly expanding in the United States. One argument in support of school choice is that it unleashes the power of competitive markets to improve schools and satisfy customers. This article reexamines the idea that school choice is a consumer choice. It does so, first, by comparing school choice with other forms of consumer choice, like the choice of a breakfast cereal, along eight dimensions. The comparison shows that school choice functions very differently than it does with other types of consumer goods or services. Second, using the work of German sociologist Georg Simmel, the article looks at how competitive markets have been said to advance human relationships and create communities. The article then seeks to find a way to reconcile the potential upsides of consumer choice with the benefits of public deliberation, advocating for a renewed attention to choice programs within public schools, formulated in certain ways.