Social Justice Workshop: The Rise and Fall of School Vouchers: A Story of Race, Religion, and Politics

James Forman (Associate Professor of Law, Georgetown University and Founder of Maya Angelou Charter School): will be speaking at the School of Law on Tuesday, November 21^st.  The topic of his presentation is:  “The Rise and Fall of School Vouchers: A Story of Race, Religion, and Politics.”  The lecture takes place from 2:30 to 3:50 p.m. in Bannan 110.  A reception is being held at 5 p.m. in the Strong Common Room in Bergin Hall.

Professor Forman co-founded the Maya Angelou Public Charter School in 1997, which is recognized as one of the most successful programs of its kind in the country, combining rigorous education, job training, counseling, mental health services, life skills, and dormitory living for school dropouts and youth who have previously been incarcerated.

Lia Epperson teaches the Fall 2006 Social Justice Workshop: RACE, ECONOMICS, AND EDUCATION.  This workshop examines how race and economic stratification affect educational opportunity.  Education plays a crucial role in sustaining a democratic society.  As such, it is critical that we understand and are able to critique the legal and public policy choices that shape our education system.

The workshop will begin with an examination of the evolution of the concepts of racial integration and equal educational opportunity in the 50 years since Brown v. Board of Education, and the impact of recent Supreme Court affirmative action jurisprudence on integration in public schools.  The next part of the semester will scrutinize school finance litigation and the relationship between school resources and student achievement.  The third part of the semester will explore contemporary issues affecting educational opportunity, including ability grouping, standardized testing and assessment, and the expanding role of law enforcement measures in schools.  The workshop will conclude by critically evaluating various reforms, including the school choice movement and the federal government’s expanding role in educational reform.  In addition to examining legal authority and the work of legal scholars, students will examine the writings of historians, social scientists, and education policy experts.  Visiting scholars and practitioners who work directly with these issues will address the class.

Lectures are open to members of the university community and the general public.