privatization in education

In A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door, Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider, co-hosts of the popular education podcast Have You Heard, lay out the increasingly potent network of conservative elected officials, advocacy groups, funders, and think tanks that have aligned behind a radical vision to unmake public education. They describe the dogma underpinning the work of the dismantlers and how it fits into the current political context, giving readers an up-close look at the policies?school vouchers, the war on teachers' unions, tax credit scholarships, virtual schools, and more?driving the movement's agenda. Finally they look forward, surveying the world the dismantlers threaten to build.

"Public schools are among America's greatest achievements in modern history, yet from the earliest days of tax-supported education -- today a sector with an estimated budget of over half a billion dollars -- there have been intractable tensions tied to race and poverty"--Jacket flap.

"In an attempt to correct the perceived failures of public schools came the notion of school choice. One solution is charter schools: independent, privately run but publicly funded schools that now enroll more than three million students across forty-three states. Another is vouchers, which allow parents to use state dollars at their school of choice. But evidence of vouchers' success is scant, and many argue that they violate the First Amendment. What happens to public school systems when tax dollars go instead to alternative choices? The viewpoints in this anthology examine the debates surrounding education for our future generations"--Provided by publisher.

"--- argues that under free market capitalism, life paths prescribed by class but framed as parental choices--publor or private? Gifted & Talented, general or special education?--segregate American children from birth throuh adolescence, and into adulthood, as never before. In age of austerity, an elite class of corporate education reformers has found new ways to transfer the costs f raising children to families. Examining three New York City schools, Class War show how education has been transformed into a competitive "hunger games" for the resources and social connections required for economic success"-- Provided by publisher.

Diane Ravitch, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, discusses the state of American public schools and argues against the claim that our public school system is broken and should be privatized.

Chris Whittle recounts the efforts of his company, Edison Schools, to improve inner-city education for American children, offering them a chance at a better education and a better future.

Contains twenty-four essays by various authors in which they present different perspectives on issues related to education, addressing questions about the state of public education, school choice, multicultural approaches, religious and moral values, and reform.

Diane Ravitch, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, discusses the state of American public schools and argues against the claim that our public school system is broken and should be privatized.