Educating Citizens: International Perspectives on Civic Values and School Choice [Paperback]

David J. Ferrero (Author), Patrick J. Wolf (Editor), Stephen Macedo (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2004

In the wake of the Supreme Courts landmark ruling upholding school choice, policymakers across the country are grappling with the challenge of funding and regulating private schools. Towns, cities, and states are experimenting with a variety of policies, including vouchers, tax credits, and charter schools. Meanwhile, public officials and citizens continue to debate the issues at the heart of the matter: Why should the government regulate education? Who should do the regulating? How should private schools be regulated, and how much? These questions represent new terrain for many policymakers in the United States. Europe and Canada, however, have struggled with these issues for decades or, in some cases, even a century or more. In this groundbreaking volume, scholars from Europe and the United States come together to ask what Americans can learn from other countries experience with publicly funded educational choice. This experience is both extensive and varied. In England and Wales, parents play a significant role in selecting the schools their children will attend. In the Netherlands and much of Belgium, most students attend religious schools at government expense. In Canada, France and Germany, state-financed school choice is limited to circumstances that serve particular social and governmental needs. In Italy, school choice has just recently arrived on the policy agenda. In analyzing these cases, the authors focus on how school choice policies have shaped and been shaped by civic values such as tolerance, civic cohesion, and integration across class, religious, and racial lines. They explore the systems of regulation, accountability, and control that accompany public funding, ranging from the testing-based mechanisms of Alberta to the more intrusive inspection systems of Britain, Germany, and France. And they discuss the relevance of these experiences for the United States. These essays illuminate many ways in which the public interest in education may be preserved or even enhanced in an era of increased parental choice. Based on a wealth of experience and expertise, Educating Citizens will aid policymakers and citizens as they consider historic changes in American public education policy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patrick J. Wolf is associate professor of public policy at Georgetown University.

Stephen Macedo is the Laurence S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and director of the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University.

David J. Ferrero is director of evaluation and policy research for education programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Charles Venegoni is president of Civitas Schools in Chicago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 397 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815795173
• ISBN-13: 978-0815795179
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)