The School Choice Journey

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

   PDF

2. Introduction: The School Choice Journey: School Vouchers and the Empowerment of Urban Families

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 1-14

3. What Is School Choice, and Why Did Some Parents Choose School Vouchers?

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 15-26

4. The History of Vouchers and Education Reform in Washington, DC

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 27-42

5. What Were Families Looking for in the Voucher Program?

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 43-65

6. What Major Challenges Did Families Experience Using Private School Vouchers?

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 67-88

7. How Do Families Measure Student Progress, Satisfaction, and Success?

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 89-109

8. School Vouchers and the Empowerment of Urban Families

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 111-121

9. What Lessons Were Learned That May Help Future Travelers?

   • Thomas Stewart, Patrick J. Wolf

   Pages 123-145

10. Back Matter

    Pages 147-217

    PDF

This in-depth chronicle of 110 families in Washington, DC's Opportunity Scholarship Program provides a realistic look at how urban families experience the process of using school choice vouchers and transform from government clients to consumers of education and active citizens.

• School choice
• school vouchers
• empowerment
• education
• education reform
• school
• learning and instruction

"The School Choice Journey illuminates how well-crafted policies and practices can help urban families secure valuable education opportunities for their children. This is a must-read for anyone interested in improving the academic outcomes for urban children." Rod Paige, Former US Secretary of Education

"Rarely have I read a book that provides scholarly insights into the reality low-income urban families face as they move from marginalized to empowered participants in their children's education. Stewart and Wolf have made a significant contribution to our understanding of urban education reform and parental school choice." - Howard Fuller, Distinguished Professor of Education and Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning, Marquette University, USA

"The School Choice Journey offers important policy lessons from the DC voucher program. Perhaps most important, the authors dig deep into the challenges disadvantaged families face in navigating their choices and what help they need most to be more effective choosers and advocates in the growing landscape of public and private school choice." - Robin J. Lake, Director, Center on Reinventing Public Education and Affiliate Faculty, University of Washington, Bothell, USA

Author Thomas Stewart: Thomas Stewart is President of Patten University, USA. Author Patrick J. Wolf: Patrick J. Wolf is Professor and 21st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice at University of Arkansas, USA.

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