Vouchers: A wasteful idea
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Although voters widely oppose them and research shows mixed results, school voucher advocates won't let the concept go. Even studies that prove family income and stability have the greatest affect on learning don't deter them.
That disregard for public opinion and data raises questions about the true goal of the voucher movement: Is it to help students or dismantle public schools?
Last month, a group of congressional Republicans and Department of Education leaders announced a $100 million plan to give vouchers to low-income children to leave their struggling public schools. Called "Opportunity Scholarships," the plan would give parents $4,000 per year to put toward private school tuition or another public school outside their district.
In another example of not letting facts get in the way of their plan, the idea was resurrected the same week an Education Department-commissioned study showed that public and private school students do equally well on standardized tests when they come from similar backgrounds.
Underfunded program
It is ironic that Republicans propose spending millions to help students leave schools even as they underfund No Child Left Behind -- the very approach they recommended to improve public schools.
While frustration with poorly performing schools is understandable, the solution does not lie in abandoning public programs. Public schools are doing a good job for millions of students. The question is how to best invest public dollars to expand that success.