Education Reform in America

The school choice debate: Who decides the future of education?

American education is in crisis. Test scores are plummeting. Teachers are burning out. Inequality is growing. And now, an executive order from the White House is reigniting one of the fiercest debates in education: Should parents have more power to choose their children’s schools — including access to private options funded by public dollars?

On one side: School choice advocates argue that expanding options — through vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter schools — empowers families to find the best educational fit for their children, rather than being constrained by zip codes or a struggling public system.

On the other: Critics warn that school choice is no panacea. They argue that shifting public funds toward private education deepens inequities and fails to deliver consistently better outcomes for all students. If school choice doesn’t improve education for all, is it worth the risk?

So who’s right? Join 92NY’s Dialogue Project for a no-soundbites, no-slogans, real conversation, moderated by award-winning journalist Jeff Greenfield.

Featuring:

Robert Pondiscio – Senior Fellow at AEI and a leading advocate for school choice, who believes that giving parents more control leads to better educational opportunities for students.

Luis Huerta – Professor at Columbia Teachers College and author of The School Voucher Illusion, who argues that school choice policies often overpromise and underdeliver — diverting resources from public schools without clear evidence of success and, in some cases, negative outcomes.

Together, they’ll tackle urgent questions that will shape the next generation of education:

• Should education reform across the US include an increased focus on parental school choice, including expanded voucher and charter options?
• Have vouchers and charter schools helped close achievement gaps — or widened them?

This isn’t just another policy debate — it’s a critical conversation about the future of American education. Be part of the discussion. Because when it comes to our schools, the stakes couldn’t be higher.