Fuller said he believes the Milwaukee public school system has grown more responsive to its students and their parents since the early 1990s when school vouchers were introduced to low-income families. The parental choice movement "is not about destroying public education but refining it," he added.
None of the other invited speakers offered a critique of school choice, but there were varied research presentations on how school voucher programs should be implemented to demonstrate effectiveness. Other conference speakers included Dr. Paul Peterson, director of the program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University; Lawrence Patrick, president and CEO of Black Alliance for Educational Options; Dr. David Salisbury, director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute; and conference organizer Casey Lartigue Jr., education policy analyst at the Cato Institute.
Founded in 1977, the Cato Institute sponsors research and debate that support a libertarian philosophy of limited government, individual liberty and free markets in the United States.
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