Ouch. The first universal voucher program in the nation came to Utah. And after yesterday's public vote, it's history.

But the cause of and interest in school choice is not, says Andrew Coulson.

And for our sake, it must not:

Our district-based, 19th century school system is simply not living up to the ideals of public education or the expectations of the American people. Our schools are supposed to promote social cohesion; they foment culture wars instead. They are supposed to impart knowledge and skills, but we trail the industrialized world in academic performance by the end of high school. And given our limited resources, we want our schools to make every dollar count, but public schooling has undergone a staggering decline in cost-effectiveness over the past several generations.

I'll have more to say on this later.