School choice is a hot topic right now.

Many supporters argue that K-12 public schools are failing to prepare all students for a prosperous future or instill basic values,

while succeeding at exposing

them to critical race theory, pro-LGBQ politics and the risk of gun violence. Many opponents

of school choice deny that public schools are training grounds for progressive ideology and say

public school students suffer when funding is diverted away from their campuses.

Wherever you land on school choice, and there are plenty of people somewhere in the middle,

it is worth asking, how did so many Americans stop trusting public schools?

From KERA in Dallas, this is think. I'm Chris Boyd.

One big surprise for me in reading a new book about this was just how old

the idea really is. In fact, the neoliberal economist Milton Friedman first floated a version of a school

voucher program 70 years ago in 1954, which perhaps not coincidentally was the same year the Supreme

Court ruled against school segregation in the landmark case Brown v. Board.

Josh Cowan is Professor of Education Policy at Michigan State University.

His book is titled The Privateers, How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.

Josh, welcome to think.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Before we get into how we got to now, we should probably start by outlining what school choice policies actually do.

I know they can be different in different states, but broadly speaking, what does the school choice program offer to the families who take part?

Yeah, so great question. Again, thanks for having me. So school choice

is a broad set of policy designs that range of everything from choice within the public sector,

so choosing between public school districts and charter schools, which are independently run

...