Capitalizing on Disaster: Taking and Breaking Public Schools

In this review of Capitalizing on Disaster, the reviewer positions Kenneth J. Saltman's book as essential reading for anyone tracing the political and business forces reshaping public education. The book's single biggest reason to read it is Saltman's detailed argument that privatization is not an accidental policy choice but a concerted project driven by powerful think tanks and business groups; those seeking a clear, well-documented critique of charter schools, vouchers, and education management organizations will find the book especially valuable. This review assesses the book's focus, evidence, and usefulness to educators, policy students, and researchers.

Key Features

• Historical analysis: Saltman traces the rise and fall and resurgence of privatization efforts, giving readers a longitudinal view of education reform.
• Institutional critique: The book dissects the role of think tanks and business groups, clarifying how policy networks influence schooling decisions.
• Privatization focus: It explains how EMOs, vouchers, and charter schools are promoted as replacements for public schools in both disaster and nondisaster contexts.
• Case examples: Saltman uses specific episodes, such as the Edison Schools and Knowledge Universe, to show how large ventures have shaped reform debates.
• Policy relevance: The work connects contemporary reform strategies to broader democratic and cultural politics, useful for policy analysis and classroom discussion.

Who It's For

The book is aimed at graduate students, researchers, and education professionals who want a critical, evidence-oriented account of how market actors and policy networks drive school reform. Those studying education policy, reform and democracy, or the history of privatization will gain substantial background and argumentation to support further work or classroom discussion.

Readers seeking practical how-to guides for running charter schools, or a technocratic handbook for school improvement, should look elsewhere: this is a critical, analytical text rather than an operational manual. It is also best suited to readers comfortable with scholarly critique rather than light popular summaries.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear critical framing that links business groups and think tanks to policy outcomes, making the book a strong resource for understanding motivations behind reform.
• Detailed historical examples that illustrate how large-scale ventures influenced public debates about schooling.
• Relevant for policy and democratic theory discussions, supporting classroom use and research citations.

Cons

• The book is analytical and academic in tone, which may limit appeal for readers wanting brief summaries or practical implementation advice.

Specifications

Title	Capitalizing on Disaster: Taking and Breaking Public Schools
Author	Kenneth J. Saltman
Subject	Education reform, privatization, policy analysis
Themes	Charter schools, vouchers, EMOs, think tanks
Approach	Cultural politics and democratic critique
Use	Academic study, policy analysis, classroom discussion

Our Verdict

Capitalizing on Disaster is a rigorous, well-argued critique that belongs on the shelf of anyone studying education policy or the political economy of schooling; it delivers strong value by synthesizing historical examples and institutional analysis to explain why privatization persists and how it reshapes public education.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book focus on charter schools and vouchers?
Yes. Saltman examines EMOs, vouchers, and charter schools as central mechanisms of educational privatization and policy change.

Is the book suitable for classroom use?
Yes. Its analytical approach and historical examples make it appropriate for graduate seminars and courses on education policy and reform.

Is this a practical guide for running private education ventures?
No. The book is a critical, scholarly analysis rather than a how-to manual for operating schools.