Choosing Equality: School Choice, the Constitution, and Civil Society

By Joseph P. Viteritti

Book Overview

America is now in the second generation of debate on school choice. The first was prompted by the provocative voucher proposal conceived by Milton Friedman in 1955 and brought into the mainstream by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0815790465
• ISBN13: 9780815790464
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Viteritti shifts the debate

The idea of vouchers has been around for years. But the reasons behind this idea were never sufficiently compelling to get the idea of vouchers taken seriously.That has begun to change and Viteritti's book is the most thorough and eloquent enunciation of the new raison d'etre behind school choice.Viteritti casts the question in terms of equality. Why should poor and minority children be so often forced to attend schools that perpetually fail to provide a good education?It's hard to answer that question. The best one can do is to complain that these schools can't do better because they are underfunded.But Viteritti and others show that the connection between funding and high achievement is conditional- unless the money is spent wisely, it will do no good. There are numerous examples of inner-city schools where per pupil funding is as high as it is in the suburbs. Yet, achievement remains very low.In light of this, it only seems reasonable to give those children who want to go elsewhere the opportunity to do so. There aren't enough seats in public schools, so private schools must become the outlets.It's a well written book and it makes a lot of sense. If you put the kids first instead of the schools and those employed there, you are liekly to come to the same conclusion as Viteritti.