Argument, Equity, and Public Narrative: Lessons from Anti-Voucher Advocacy

• In Event: Equity in the Crosshairs: Leadership, Closure, and Advocacy in Contentious Times

Abstract

While prior research has shown that school voucher programs produce mixed academic outcomes and further exacerbate racial segregation in schools, these programs have nonetheless expanded rapidly in the South and across the United States in recent years. This study aimed to explore how education advocates in the South navigate new voucher policy environments and how they utilize what they learn to inform their future work. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews, participants discussed key themes such as education access, community knowledge, coalition-building, and mitigating inequities. Findings illustrate the challenges of building effective strategies for community engagement and collaboration, engaging in the “pre-work” of understanding local context, drawing on key voices to inform partnership approaches, and countering misconceptions.

Authors

• Tabitha Reynolds Hoang, Southern Education Foundation

• Darian A. Burns, Southern Education Foundation

• Max Altman, Southern Education Foundation

• Allison Boyle, Southern Education Foundation, Inc.

• Fred A. Jones, Southern Education Foundation