[2] Economist Milton Friedman in 1955 proposed that education could be improved by a universal school voucher program.
A free market in primary and secondary education would allow consumers (parents) to choose among alternatives, stimulating competition and improvement.
In 1974, Ray Budde, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, floated the idea of a charter school.
Examples include: Wisconsin, California, Florida, Michigan, and Arizona allow for-profit corporations to manage charter schools.
One authority on schools, Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes makes no distinction between terms.