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In
Radical Dreamers, Joseph P. Viteritti presents a wide-ranging history of the most controversial educational reform movement in America: school choice. Using it as a lens for observing the broader history of American educational failure, Viteritti traces how the school choice movement emerged to correct disparities in education and help economically disadvantaged students of color but evolved into a mechanism to provide public funding for students, irrespective of income, to attend private and religious schools. Viteritti's story is brought to life by featuring the contributions of six major figures whose careers helped shape this history and the ongoing debate.
List of contents
- Preface
- Part I: Introduction
- 1. What's This About?
- 2. Once Upon an Idea
- Part II: Critical Thinkers
- 3. Ron Edmonds: Effective Schools
- 4. John "Jack" Coons: Simple Justice and Dignity
- 5. Diane Ravitch: A Different Voice
- 6. All Roads Lead to Court
- 7. Howard Fuller: Making of an Activist
- 8. Howard Fuller: "Black Power"
- 9. Black Women Center Stage
- 10. Ravitch Revised
- Part III: Conclusion
- 11. America's Failed Journey
- Research Addendum: What We Know (and Don't) About School Choice
- Notes
- Index
About the author
Joseph P. Viteritti is the Thomas Hunter Professor of Public Policy at Hunter College in New York. He has published a dozen books, including
Choosing Equality: School Choice, the Constitution and Civil Society. His numerous articles have appeared in scholarly journals, law reviews, and popular venues, including
The New York Times,
The Washington Post, and
The Nation. He gave expert testimony in the landmark US Supreme Court case,
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002), and was cited by the Court in
Espinosa v. Montana (2020), both of which pertained to the issue of school choice. He has served as a senior advisor to the chancellor of the New York City public schools, as well as the school superintendents in Boston and San Francisco.
