Curren Chapter 23 Analysis

The market approach to education is an idea that I cannot fully wrap my head around. Colin Crouch's article describes the use of specialist schools focusing on expertise in certain educational types by the competition between other school and parents of the students in order to "attract customers." This concept seems to promote the same ideas as universities and colleges, yet how does this help and encourage students at secondary education levels? Crouch does a good job in explaining the downfalls of a market approach when he states that "As 'good' or popular schools use their additional resources to expand, 'poor' schools, starved of both pupils and resources, will necessarily decline, and will either eventually close or be left with a residuum of children whose parents do not care." Because "superior funding and privileges are to be a mark of specialist schools" this does not seem to be solving anything. This supports the idea that students and families who have the most money and opportunities already continue to get the best education possible. How is this fair to the majority of people who can't afford to the "good" or "popular" schools?
Crouch also states that many parents would fail to educate their children if education were voluntary. The market approach does not appear to me as a solution to the unconcerned parent. Yes, I believe that more students would succeed in school if their parents took the time to help them and were truly involved in their education. Competition will always be a factor, some students will succeed and some will fall behind no matter how involved parents are.