The School Choice Journey School Vouchers and the Empowerment of Urban Families

by Stewart, Thomas; Wolf, Patrick J.; Lieberman, Joe

• ISBN13: 9781137442659
• ISBN10: 1137442654
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-08-20
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The School Choice Journey provides a realistic look at how urban families experience parental school choice with an inside view of a highly controversial case of school vouchers, the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). The authors draw upon focus groups and interviews to examine the impact of the OSP on the participating families, likening their experience to a journey. The challenges faced by OSP families are carefully documented, culminating in their surprising, courageous, and ultimately successful fight to renew the school choice program. The insights provided by these pioneering families, provided throughout the book in their own compelling words, shed important new light on the significance of parental school choice within the broader context of urban poverty and education reform in the United States.

Author Biography

Thomas Stewart is President of Patten University, USA.

Patrick J. Wolf is Professor of Education Policy and Endowed 21st Century Chair in School Choice at the University of Arkansas, USA.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Former United States Senator Joe Lieberman

1. What Is School Choice, And Why Did Some Parents Choose School Vouchers?
2. The History of Vouchers and Education Reform in Washington, DC
3. What Were Families Looking for in the Voucher Program?
4. What Major Challenges Did Families Experience Using Private School Vouchers?
5. How Do Families Measure Student Progress, Satisfaction and Success?
6. School Voucher and the Empowerment Of Urban Families
7. What Lessons Were Learned That May Help Future Travelers?