ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the schooling context in Detroit, and how school enrollment restrictions prevented disenfranchised populations from accessing education. It provides the discussion of policy backfire using zero-tolerance discipline policies in schools. The book also discusses the impact of reform efforts that instituted school vouchers in the state of Ohio from the late 1990s. While Ohio successfully litigated the constitutionality of school vouchers for private schools—including religious schools—few voucher programs emerged in the early 2000s, which many educational stakeholders viewed as a policy failure for the voucher movement. The book draws attention to the unintended consequence of aggressive school disciplinary policies on academic outcomes for Latino males through misidentification and the loss of class time for students. It addresses the unintended consequences of Ontario’s policy requirement that all students be formally assessed before qualifying to receive special education services.
