A Primer on the Evolution of School Vouchers

November 25, 2:00 pm ET

There are currently 11 states where virtually every school-aged child can now receive taxpayer money to attend private or religious schools, with the majority of these funds going to affluent families whose children never attended public school. There are at least 16 states where universal voucher legislation will be considered in 2025, and this legislation is also a central pillar of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. How can funders and public education advocates make sense of the voucher movement and its impacts on public education as we know it?

Join Grantmakers for Education for a panel discussion, in partnership with the New York University Metro Center, on the evolution of universal voucher programs. We will hear from a panel of historians, educators and organizers about the impact of vouchers on the ground, as well as contextualize both universal and other types of school vouchers in the overall landscape of school choice. Program runs 1.5 hours.

This event is intended for members and other education grantmakers.

There is no cost to attend this Grantmakers for Education program. Registration closes 15 minutes prior to the program time. Thank you for your patience; we review each registration in advance.

About the Speakers

Jennifer Berkshire
Author

Berkshire is a journalist and podcaster whose work explores the intersection of public education and politics. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Nation, the New Republic and many other publications. Berkshire is the author of two books: A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School (with Jack Schneider), and More Worlds to Negotiate: John Dunlop and the Art of Problem Solving. She is the creator of the education policy podcast, Have You Heard. Berkshire teaches in the journalism program at Boston College, where she instructs aspiring reporters in the art of storytelling. A licensed public-school teacher, Jennifer lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Rich Berlin
Co-CEO
DREAM

Richard Berlin, founding Chair of DREAM Charter School, served as DREAM’s Executive Director since 1997 and became co-Chief Executive Officer alongside Eve Colavito in 2021. Mr. Berlin began his journey with DREAM as a volunteer baseball coach in 1994. During his tenure, DREAM has grown from a summer recreation program with one staff member to a thriving community-based organization recognized locally and nationally with numerous awards for programmatic and operational excellence. DREAM now serves over 2,000 youth from Pre-K to pre-college across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a growing network of inclusive, extended-day, extended-year charter schools and community sports-based youth development programs.

Mr. Berlin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and attended a Master’s Program in Political Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science in London, England. Additionally, he has completed certificate programs at Columbia University’s Institute for Not-for-Profit Management in both Nonprofit Management and Leadership Development.

Beth Lewis
Executive Director
Save Our Schools Arizona

Beth Lewis is a mom, public education advocate, and K-12 policy expert who fights for a fully and equitably funded school for every Arizona child. As Director of Save Our Schools Arizona, Beth works to bring parents, educators, elected officials, business leaders, and community members together in support of Arizona’s public schools, which strengthen our communities and our great state. Beth has taught elementary and middle school in Arizona for 12 years and has been named a Rodel Exemplary teacher and Tempe Diablos Teacher of the Year Finalist. She holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Education from ASU.

Gini Pupo-Walker
Director, National Education Strategy
Raikes Foundation

Gini Pupo-Walker is the Director of National Education Strategy at the Raikes Foundation where she helps design strategies that advance K-12 and post-secondary systems that work for every student. She has been an educator and advocate for over 20 years, most recently serving as the founding Executive Director for the Education Trust – Tennessee, where she worked alongside partners, students, and advocates to increase educational opportunity and achievement for historically underserved students.

Gini began her career as a high school teacher, working in Seattle, San Diego, and Nashville. Gini was elected to the school board for Metro Nashville Public Schools, serving one term from 2018-2022, and she was the first Latino/a school board member in Tennessee. She has a B.A. in Spanish and an M.A. in History from Indiana University and an M.A. in Education Administration from Tennessee State University. Gini is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Nashville and a 2018 graduate of Leadership Tennessee.