Capitalism once did a superior job providing kindergarten-to-twelfth grade (K–12) schooling in the United States, according to Herbert J. Walberg and Joseph L. Bast, who say it would do so once again if schools were "privatized," or moved from the public to the private sector.

As more states adopt accountability measures in response to the No Child Left Behind Act, debates about their effectiveness have ensued. New analysis of state accountability systems finds that students in states that reward or sanction schools for their academic performance make greater achievement gains than those in states that do not.