Stealing Public Education. The Case Against Charter Schools and School Vouchers - Robert J. Walker

For decades, charter schools and school voucher programs have been hailed as innovative solutions to the challenges facing public education-a promise of choice, opportunity, and better outcomes for children. They are marketed as alternatives that empower parents, spark competition, and improve student achievement. Yet behind this rhetoric lies a much more complex and troubling reality.

Stealing Public Education exposes the hidden costs of "school choice," revealing how these programs often prioritize profit over learning, undermine public schools, and deepen educational inequities. Research shows that billions of public dollars are redirected from traditional neighborhood schools to charter and voucher programs, leaving underfunded schools struggling to serve all students. While some charter schools succeed, the overall landscape is inconsistent, with accountability and oversight often weak or entirely absent. Without robust regulation, opportunities for mismanagement and corruption have flourished.

The book also highlights the real-world consequences for families, particularly those with children who require special education or English language learning services. While school choice is marketed as a path to individualized attention, many families find that local public schools remain the only place to access necessary supports. In some cases, charter and voucher programs have agreements to provide specialized services, but these arrangements are often limited, leaving families navigating a fragmented and inequitable system.

Beyond funding and services, Stealing Public Education examines how these programs affect communities. Selective enrollment policies can concentrate disadvantage in public schools, while affluent families are often funneled into private options, exacerbating social and economic segregation. The drive toward privatization also risks eroding the shared commitment to a public good: neighborhood schools that serve all children regardless of income, ability, or background.

Drawing on decades of research, investigative reporting, and policy analysis, this book documents the rise of the charter and voucher movements and the structural challenges that persist today. It challenges the assumption that school choice is inherently beneficial, showing that without transparency, oversight, and equity-focused design, these programs can do more harm than good. Readers will learn how the promise of innovation and opportunity often masks a system that prioritizes financial gain over the educational needs of children.

Stealing Public Education is not only an exposé-it's a call to action. It urges parents, educators, policymakers, and concerned citizens to critically examine the effects of privatization on public education. It underscores the importance of protecting strong, accountable, and equitable public schools as a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

Whether you are a parent exploring schooling options, an educator grappling with systemic challenges, or a citizen concerned about the future of public education, this book provides a clear, compelling, and meticulously researched account of what school choice really means. It invites readers to look beyond slogans and marketing campaigns, and to consider the broader social, economic, and ethical implications of charter schools and school vouchers.

Stealing Public Education makes the case that education is not just a market to be competed over-it is a public trust, essential for equity, opportunity, and the future of our democracy.