Praise for Radical Dreamers
“What did ‘school choice’ mean in the past, and what does it mean now? In this remarkable history and personal memoir, Joseph Viteritti reminds us about the progressive potential of choice as well as the dangers it poses to racial equity and religious freedom. Along the way, he introduces us to a remarkable cast of characters and—even better—reads his own story into theirs. This isn’t just a close examination of school choice; it’s an honest and heartfelt reflection by one of the leading education scholars of our time.”— Jonathan Zimmerman, Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor in Education, University of Pennsylvania
“Why has the United States failed to secure widespread educational equality despite perpetual reform efforts? Using school choice as a lens, Viteritti brings together detailed participant-observation accounts of key players in decades-long education reform debates as well as his astute observations of political dynamics. No one seriously interested in overcoming America’s failed promise of educational opportunity should miss this book’s demonstration of vested interests undermining political alliances, generating despair among those most in need of better schooling as racial and economic disparities compound.”—Martha Minow, 300th Anniversary University Professor, Harvard University
“Joseph Viteritti has a strong track record of publishing books that are timely, well-reasoned, and beautifully written. This latest contribution doesn’t disappoint. I have studied private school choice for over twenty-five years, yet I learned much from the author’s engaging descriptions of the people and events that launched and sustained the modern school choice movement.”— Patrick J. Wolf, Distinguished Professor of Education Policy and 21st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice, University of Arkansas
“Written by one of the nation’s most astute observers of our schools, Radical Dreamers is a provocative indictment of America's failure to educate all children regardless of race or class; an intimate history of school choice brought to life by the stories of key figures who helped shape that history; and an honest analysis of the political, legal and policy issues that define a fierce ongoing debate. And what a great read!” --- Nina Rees, former President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Radical Dreamers is an often compelling chronicle of strong-willed, independent-minded progressives interested in K–12 schooling during the second half of the 20th century. ... The author has stuck by his principles even though they've fallen out of vogue on his side of the aisle, and he has provided the intellectual history for any future independent-minded choice-curious progressives." -- Andy Smarick, Education Next
“Radical Dreamers is a well-written and important history of the educational choice movement. It reminds us that improving schools is possible and that reasonable voices from both sides of the political divide can contribute to that effort – if they have the courage to do so.” — Ray Domanico, City Journal
"In Radical Dreamers, Viteritti turns the focus back to the most progressive thread of the school choice story, chronicling the contributions of education researchers, lawyers, and activists -many of them Black men and women... describes his front row seat to fitful efforts to improve public schools... (and) challenges the notion that it is 'conservative' to support school choice, or 'progressive' to oppose it." -- Erica Meltzner, Chalkbeat
Radical Dreamers Makes a powerful case not just for education reform, but for openness to new arguments and perspectives . . . The result is provocative and heartening, especially in its call to think freshly about complex issues. — Publishers Weekly
“An impassioned case for school choice supported by ample research.” — Kirkus Reviews