BOULDER, CO (November 16, 2023) – In this month's episode of NEPC Talks Education, Christopher Saldaña interviews Christopher Lubienski and Suzanne Eckes. Lubienski is a Professor of Education Policy at Indiana University, where he serves as Director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy. His research centers on education policy, reform, and the political economy of education. Eckes is the Susan S. Engeleiter Professor of Education Law, Policy, and Practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Much of her research explores how civil rights laws impact education policies in K-12 public schools. Both of them are contributing authors to the book The School Voucher Illusion: Exposing the Pretense of Equity, which examines the enduring campaign that has led to the school voucher policies we see today. Together, Saldaña, Lubienski, and Eckes discuss the impact of recent voucher policy expansions and litigation on K-12 students and public education.

In the first part of this month's podcast, Lubienski delves into the evolution of voucher policies and their implications for students and society. His recent research highlights the negative impact of vouchers on student outcomes and the resulting shift in how advocates justify choice policies by shifting the focus from a student achievement to the value of choice for its own sake. Lubienski argues that this shift threatens to worsen segregation by wealth, race, values, and beliefs, rather than promoting the vision of schools as a democratic institution fostering social cohesion. Despite these concerns, voucher program expansions are still advanced by many legislators. Given the historical unpopularity of voucher policies with voters, Lubienski suggests that public school advocates could push for referendums on voucher policies to counter legislative efforts to expand choice programs.

In the second part of the episode, Eckes delves into the legal implications of voucher policies for broader issues such equity, justice, and access. She outlines how recent court rulings (from Zelman v. Simmons-Harris to Carson v. Makin) have resulted in the inclusion of schools with religious affiliations in voucher programs, potentially leading to discrimination against students and staff with diverse social, sexual, and gender identities. Eckes also details how voucher expansions threaten the access to education of students with diverse educational needs, such as emerging bilingual students, students with disabilities, and students in poverty. Looking ahead, Professor Eckes encourages stakeholders to push for voucher and choice policies that require public funds to be allocated to organizations under public oversight. Eckes and her colleagues are also concerned about the privatization of charter schools and encourage policymakers to include public governance mechanisms like publicly appointed and/or democratically elected boards to ensure greater oversight.

A new NEPC Talks Education podcast episode, hosted by Christopher Saldaña, will be released each month from September through May. 

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