Visiting Assistant Professor Roseann Liu’s provocative new book, Designed to Fail: Why Racial Equity in School Funding Is So Hard to Achieve (University of Chicago Press, 2024), traces the roots of systemic racism in school funding and clarifies how inequity is perpetuated. 

The book, which was recently highlighted in the Philadelphia Inquirer, focuses on districts like Philadelphia, where there are stark funding disparities between majority-minority and predominantly white schools. Going beyond the commonly discussed relationships between property taxes and school funding, Liu exposes the individuals and organizations responsible for working against equity, even those who claim to be advocating for it.

In Designed to Fail, Liu wades into the findings of data scientist David Mosenkis. In 2014, Mosenkis uncovered that Pennsylvania's state aid distribution system, ostensibly aimed at leveling the playing field, actually perpetuates racial disparities and favors predominantly white school districts. Liu’s analysis makes Mosenkis’ complex data accessible to a broad audience, while illustrating how legislators exacerbate inequity in school funding.

Liu leaves no stone unturned in this long-overdue critique of those perpetuating inequality against Black and brown children. In addition to scrutinizing the roles of state government officials, Liu discusses the role educational unions play in upholding the status quo. She shines the light on self-proclaimed fair funding advocates and associations who actually obstruct reform. She calls out groups for performing equity theater and urges readers to thoroughly research the commitments of any organizations they join. 

Marc Lamont Hill, co-author of Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice, says, "Designed to Fail is a profoundly original, remarkably rigorous, and desperately needed text. Through rich ethnographic inquiry, augmented by careful policy analysis, this book destroys the veneer of colorblindness. Beyond her brilliant analysis of our present crisis, Liu generously provides a clear and actionable strategy for transforming educational policy. This is a must-read text for scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and anyone committed to educational justice."

Designed to Fail explores trends seen in school districts across the United States.

“If you care about racial equity in school funding, don’t just look at what happens on the local level. Look at what’s happening in state houses and in places like Harrisburg,” Liu says. “If you want to join the fight for fair funding, choose your coalition wisely. Make sure you’re supporting a coalition that is advancing equity, not just in name, but importantly, in practice.”