Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice

by Sol Stern

The first book to transform school choice from an abstract policy issue into a question of basic personal freedom--and indeed, for minority children at the bottom of the social ladder, into a question of survival.

Genres: Education

237 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Sol Stern was an American journalist and author of the book Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice (2003) and wrote extensively on education reform.

Reviews

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stern knows his material firsthand as a parent, and then again as an investigative journalist. It would be challenging to tell this story more effectively. He cites clear examples, and he successfully counters tired arguments opposing his position that school choice directly benefits those who exercise it and indirectly those who remain in the otherwise unchallenged public system. His examples demonstrate repeatedly that systems with less overheard, fewer dollars per pupil, and fewer credentialed teachers trump the establishment by having mutual respect and by rewarding merit (tangibly and through the success of students).

[Doug J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book displays the very worst of the teachers unions in NYC, and its written by a man who describes himself as a supporter of public education and a liberal!

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whatever.