Schools, Vouchers, and the American Public [Paperback]

Terry M. Moe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

Moes new book is not an argument for or against vouchers; it is an analysis of public opinion on vouchers that is likely to be very influential in shaping the movements future. Moe has written a nuanced and thoughtful treatise that goes beneath the notoriously unreliable single-shot question favored by the media: Do you favor or oppose school vouchers? Richard D. Kahlenberg in The Nation In a brilliant, definitive analysis of the subject, Terry Moe tells us who doesand does notlike vouchers as well as who says they will use them, if the opportunity arises. He illuminates not only the school choice debate but the nature of public opinion more generally. Paul E. Peterson, Harvard University No book tells us more about how Americans evaluate schools. . . . This book will be the starting point for anyone interested in any school reform, not just vouchers. A model analysis of public opinion on a public policy. Samuel Popkin, University of California-San Diego Finally, a book on school vouchers that explores what ordinary Americans want and believe when thoughtfully engaged on the issue. Stephen D. Sugarman, University of California

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

With a Republican in the White House, this book gains currency and immediacy. Political scientist Moe, who admits favoring school vouchers, inspects the political and social ramifications of adopting them. By examining the results of national surveys, he focuses primarily on public opinion on the controversial issue. He begins with an overview of the politics and history of vouchers and the arguments for and against them. Vouchers usually have been championed by conservatives and resisted by liberals and teachers' unions. Ironically enough, substantive progress on vouchers has come in experiments with inner-city families seeking to escape public schools. Thus the rationale for vouchers has altered from free-market advocacy to promoting equity; that is, from a supposedly conservative value to a supposedly liberal one. Moe also considers the appeal of private versus public schools and the extent to which Americans are informed on the issues of vouchers; and he explores the consequences of vouchers for American politics and education. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Terry M. Moe is professor of political science at Stanford University and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He has written extensively on American education and American political institutions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 474 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815758073
• ISBN-13: 978-0815758075
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,807,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Picture Yet of Where Americans Stand on School Reform, September 4, 2003

By 

From The Independent Review (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schools, Vouchers, and the American Public (Paperback)

"In a timely work, "Schools, Vouchers, and the American Public," Terry Moe considers a number of public-opinion mysteries and largely neglected political topics. A discussion regarding the results of a 1995 survey takes up most of the book. Moe surveyed a nationally representative sample of 4,700 adults, with much greater precision and in greater detail than other pollsters. The differences between Moe's findings and those of other surveys are startling yet intuitively appealing."

"The first five chapters pertain to attitudes toward the current educational system, including the strong desire to "go private." The last five chapters explore opinion about vouchers and public-school choice."

"The primary message of the first half of the book is that most people think their assigned public school is academically solid, but they also think that the private sector offers even better schooling-better in general or maybe just a particular option that is better for them."

"Moe's finding that most parents are reasonably satisfied with the academic side of their assigned public school highlights a great opportunity to promote reforms based on parental choice."

"In the second half of the book, Moe briefly examines opinion on public-school choice."

"Most of the second half of the book relates to voucher programs. Moe's analysis is the first to consider critical issues such as voucher add-ons and regulation, but the public's limited knowledge of school-choice issues greatly reduces the potential benefits of Moe's journey into these uncharted waters."

"Moe's analysis of public opinion challenges parental-choice friend and foe alike. His findings broadly indicate what is possible now and what must be done to change those possibilities. Both choice advocates and opponents will overlook or discount his findings at their peril."

-From "The Independent Review," Summer 2002