New Book on For Profit Postsecondary Education

In their new book Private Enterprise and Public Education, Michael B. Horn of the Clayton Christensen Institute and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute facilitate a thoughtful discussion among education leaders on how for-profit education providers can promote quality and cost-effectiveness at scale. The contributors note that for-profits have unique strengths, including the ability to move more nimbly, readily attract capital and talent, and scale more rapidly. But they are not without their weaknesses. For-profits may also be less rooted in community institutions, less stable, and more willing to cut services or personnel.

 Horn and Hess conclude that, given sensible policies and quality control mechanisms, policymakers can leverage the power of for-profit innovation and investment to better serve students.