School choice is the hottest and most controversial idea in education reform today. As dissatisfaction with the public schools continues to grow, more and more people are turning to choice to provide real reform. Milwaukee has implemented a voucher plan, and choice plans have been on the ballot in several states.
The author, David J. Harmer, explains why the public schools no longer work, why they resist reform, and why choice is the reform that will work. He also gives us the inside story of California’s pioneering 1993 Parental Choice in Education initiative and the education establishment’s successful $16 million campaign to defeat it. Harmer explains how other states can adapt the initiative to their needs and what lessons can be learned from its defeat.
For taxpayers concerned about rising costs, for employers and educators concerned about school quality, and especially for parents concerned about their children’s future, School Choice is must reading.