News Archives - 1996

Kevin Smith, lead author of the book "The Case Against School Choice: Politics, Markets and Fools" (M.E. Sharpe, 1995), will be at Augsburg Friday, March 8, to talk about school choice, the impact of vouchers and other education policy issues. Smith is on the political science faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and formerly was an award-winning journalist covering politics at all levels.

Smith will be in the Minneapolis Room, Christensen Center (corner of 22nd Avenue South and 7 1/2 Street), from noon to 1 p.m. for a brown bag lunch public forum for the Augsburg campus community.

Smith's research has found that parents may be more likely to use school vouchers to seek racially segregated education and religious services than to seek higher-quality schools, according to Andrew Aoki of the Augsburg political science faculty. Aoki adds that Smith's evidence also challenges other claims of advocates of school choice.

In addition to his recent book, Smith has also published several articles on school choice and education policy in journals and the popular press. Before his appearance at Augsburg, Smith will be at the Humphrey Institute for a breakfast.