The School Voucher Illusion: Exposing the Pretense of Equity

by Kevin Welner (Editor), Gary Orfield (Editor), Luis A. Huerta (Editor)

This authoritative book examines the long-standing campaign that resulted in today’s school voucher policies. Advocates of private school vouchers promulgated a vision of service to low-income families, students of color, and other marginalized student populations. Vouchers were sold as a way to advance civil rights. But as voucher policies grew in size and became an element of Republican orthodoxy, they evolved into subsidies for a broad swath of advantaged families, with minimal antidiscrimination protections. The approach also transmuted into forms like education savings account programs and vouchers funded through tax-credited donations. In this book, scholars and national experts untangle this complex story to show how law and policy have aligned to dramatically alter the likely future of American schooling. They offer recommendations for modifying current policies with the goal of capturing more of the originally stated vision of voucher programs―equitable access to quality schooling, protection of all students’ civil rights, and advancement of the wider societal goals of a democratic educational system. Book

Genres: Education

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2023