As students across the country return to school, private school voucher bills gain ground, and colleges adjust policies in anticipation of renewed student protest, this week’s reading list looks at the state of education in America.
In two forums, Richard Kahlenberg and Bernard Wasow explain why vouchers aren’t the way to ensure a good education for all children, while Danielle Allen parses the meaning of so many state constitutions’ guarantee of a civic education. In a pair of book reviews, Christopher Newfield and James Forman Jr. situate American schools in the larger sea of inequality in U.S. society.
Plus, teachers Lelac Almagor and Thomas Baxter reflect on standardized testing and guns in schools—this time, because a school district votes to arm teachers—while Robin West and Rob Reich discuss the failures of corporate reform. Marshall Steinbaum makes the case for a Brown v. Board for higher ed; Rose Casey, Jessica Wilkerson, and Johanna Winant write from the front lines on the decimation of public education in West Virginia; Erik Baker and Ethan Bueno de Mesquita examine protest and free speech on campus since October 7; and more.
