Description
Lance D. Fusarelli examines the relationship between the charter school and voucher issues: To what degree does political support for charter schools - from a coalition of teacher associations, school board groups, superintendents, and voucher advocates - slow or even stop the forces for vouchers? Or, do these coalitions, which successfully pushed charter school legislation through the legislature, actually fuel the fires of privatization? Charter schools legislation has enjoyed bipartisan support precisely because the threat of vouchers is so great. And, contrary to the strategy of voucher opponents, the spread of charter school increases, rather than alleviates, the push for vouchers.
Read More
Fusarelli (education, Fordham U.) focuses on the battles over charter schools and vouchers, as illustrative case studies of the politics of educational change at the state level. The text examines the roles of interest groups, advocacy coalitions, institutions, political culture, and language in shaping the outcome of school choice reform initiatives; the extent to which state policymakers use research to inform their decision making processes; how and if such considerations affect policy outcomes; and how language is used to shape the debate over choice. Fusarelli reviews what has been learned about the political dynamics of school choice, and the implications for the future of the movement. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Read Less