Ball State professor’s new book says conservative networks push school-choice policies that divert public school funding

Serena Salloum, chair of the Department of Education Leadership at Ball State University and a Zionsville resident, is one of four academics who wrote Manufactured Outrage: The Conservative Industrial Complex’s War on Education and How to Fight Back. The authors assert a network of for‑profit, nonprofit and philanthropic groups, think tanks and corporate donors coordinate to advance policies such as microschools, vouchers and school choice that they say are designed to weaken public education and entice families to leave public schools.

Using social network analysis to map relationships among groups and funders, the book identifies organizations it says play central roles — including the State Policy Network, the American Legislative Exchange Council and the Foundation for Excellence in Education — and notes corporate funders named in the book such as the Koch and Walton foundations. Salloum characterized the conservative groups as well funded and highly connected. The book is published by Harvard Education Press and is also listed on Amazon.

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