Public or Private Education for Latin America?: That is the (False) Question

This paper seeks to enlighten a complex and often polemical debate about public and private education. It argues that the distinction between private and public is less important than the rules of the game to which critical actors of the system respond. Based on a review of a wide range of literature, the paper argues for public policies which can make public institutions more market oriented and private institutions more likely to serve the public interest, including providing systematic information on learning, giving increased power to students, parents, and other stakeholders involved in public education, providing more effective oversight of private schools, and establishing funding mechanisms for both public and private education which encourage quality, efficiency, and equity.