{"product_id":"as-public-as-possible-radical-finance-for-americas-public-schools-david-i-backer-hardcover","title":"As Public as Possible: Radical Finance for America's Public Schools -- David I. Backer, Hardcover","description":"\u003cb\u003eA witty and provocative treatise on the policies we'll need to make our public schools work for all children\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the anti-CRT panic to efforts to divert tax dollars to charter schools, the right-wing attack on education has cut deep. In response, millions of Americans have rallied to defend their cherished public schools. But this incisive book asks whether choosing between our embattled status quo and the stingy privatized vision of the right is the only path forward. In \u003cem\u003eAs Public as Possible\u003c\/em\u003e, education expert David I. Backer argues for going on the offensive by radically expanding the very notion of the \"public\" in our public schools.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHelping us to imagine a more just and equitable future, \u003cem\u003eAs Public as Possible\u003c\/em\u003e proposes a concrete set of policies aimed at providing a high-quality and truly public education for all Americans, regardless of wealth and race. With witty and provocative prose, Backer takes the reader on an enlightening tour of radical policy alternatives. He shows how we can decouple school funding from property tax revenue, evening out inequalities across districts by distributing resources according to need. He argues for direct federal grants instead of the predations of municipal debt markets. And he offers eye-opening examples spanning the past and present, from the former Yugoslavia to contemporary Philadelphia, which help us to imagine a radically different way of educating all of our children.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David I. Backer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/13\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781620978856\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid I. Backer is an associate professor of education policy at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, an organizer, and a former high school teacher. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eAlthusser and Education\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e As Public as Possible: Radical Finance for America's Public Scho\u003c\/i\u003eols (The New Press) and co-translated the philosopher Enrique Dussel's \u003ci\u003ePedagogics of Liberation\u003c\/i\u003e. He has written for publications including \u003ci\u003eThe American Prospect\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003en+1\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDissent\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eJacobin\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Philadelphia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"David I. Backer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47122070536420,"sku":"9781620978856","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0611\/9587\/8628\/files\/9781620978856.jpg?v=1777676168","url":"https:\/\/bookandmortar.com\/products\/as-public-as-possible-radical-finance-for-americas-public-schools-david-i-backer-hardcover","provider":"BookandMortar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}