"With compelling narrative, meticulous detail, and sharp analytic insight, Pedroni captures the misunderstood and contested world of African American parents who use vouchers to opt out of failing public schools. Neither duped by the neoconservative agenda nor blind to the limits of private schools, they represent a new iteration of an ongoing agenda of African American parents: to locate caring, community-oriented schools where high expectations will be the norm. This book is essential for all who seek to reform public education.--Emilie Vanessa Siddle Walker, Professor of Educational Studies, Emory University"In this insightful book, Tom Pedroni analyzes the ideological and political complexities underlying African American parents’ support for vouchers. Pedroni’s ethnographic account and his call for "progressive modernization" in education encourage us to conceptualize a more inclusive and effective movement for democratic education."--Pauline Lipman, Professor of Educational Policy Studies, University of Illinois-Chicago"Pedroni's study advances our thinking about African American use of school vouchers by theorizing the relationship between the educational Right and Black parents. This is an accessible and readable work, in which Black working class voices are clearly heard."--Geoff Whitty, Director, Institute of Education, University of London"Pedroni’s book reinvigorates educational critical theory with a deeply informed and politically astute case study."--James Paul Gee, Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies, Arizona State University