Zero Chance of Passage

Over twenty years ago, the Minnesota legislature passed the first chartered school law in the nation. By all accounts, it shouldn’t have happened. Today, 2/3 of the American public supports chartering, and over 2.3 million students attend over 6,000 chartered schools in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Chartering succeeded because it was a bipartisan initiative from the middle of the political spectrum that arose from visionary citizens outside the political system.

Ember Reichgott Junge, the Minnesota state senator who authored the law, candidly shares her personal and challenging journey of pioneering chartering through its early origins, its tumultuous legislative passage, and its explosion onto the national stage. With never-before-published historical documents and first-person accounts by supporters and opponents, this book informs both the past and future of public education.

This book is more than the seminal reference on the history of public school choice and chartering in America. It is an eye-opening and stimulating inside look at policymaking. It is about political lessons of the past guiding policy leaders of today and tomorrow. It is an inspiring historical memoir about ordinary people taking an extraordinary stand for change.

President Bill Clinton, Founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States:
In Zero Chance of Passage, Ember Reichgott Junge delivers a fascinating and detailed account of the bipartisan movement to revive the American education system. As she breaks down the misconceptions surrounding charter schools and sets the historical record straight, readers will learn what too few have known: charters simply wouldn’t exist without Ember Reichgott Junge.

Former US Senator David Durenberger (R-Minnesota):
Every education policy leader in America simply must read this eyewitness account of the birth of a great Minnesota idea. Supported by a degree of bipartisanship too seldom seen today, charter schools have changed the way the country defines and delivers public education.

Nina S. Rees, former Assistant Deputy Secretary at US Department of Education and adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney:
This book is required reading not just for those interested in learning more about the history of charter schools but for learning how a dedicated legislator can bring an unorthodox idea to life with the support and dedication of a grassroots-driven advocacy community.

Caprice Young, former CEO, California Charter Schools Association:
Any understanding of the charter school movement begins with this story. It’s a fiery political tale, full of the characters and the intrigue accompanying any serious effort to make the world better. My graduate students loved this book as it drove real dialogue around what is required to define real public education.

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