school voucher's logic

I was trying to wrap my head around the logic of the school voucher program, and I just can't seem to make sense of it. If I understand the program right (and maybe this is where my problem is coming from), with this program parents will have the right to choose what school to send their kid to - so if they're not happy with the public school they're in, they can have the government step in and pay for them to go elsewhere. Now, if that is right, how is this a solution to the problem? Rather than FIXING the public schools by putting the money into them (which is what's needed), they're just shipping the money elsewhere to private institutions. In other words, if this system were in effect nation-wide, the public school system would just collapse, privatizing ALL schools, but being funded by the government (because who in their right mind would still send their kid to an underfunded public school when the option is there for something else)? Essentially, this program shows a complete lack of faith in the public schools - we might as well just give them up entirely and let education be handled privately. Doesn't this then cause a conflict of interest? The government can't regulate these schools, thus making null and void all this money spent on NCLB.

The ramifications of this just make my head hurt. It's like the Republicans said: "Well, if parents have choices, they can't complain" -- and they never looked beyond their noses!

Someone please help me understand this...

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This month I have to pay property taxes and expensive high school tuition. The local public schools are NOT an option for my kids.

Regardless, I do not support vouchers. We must keep the money in the public system and continue to demand higher standards. Maybe a few billion from Iraq would help?

Yeah Vouchers to me would be the death of public education. Also if they "choose" a school who is responsible for providing transportation to these schools? Because if it is a parent it will never work. I can't see a parent from Camden driving their kid to Haddonfield every day.

Also agree with the in flux of students getting kicked out of charter schools...today we have 10 newly registered student coming from charters and they were either behavior problems or special needs

What people who are not in education don't seem to understand is that the reason we are so far "behind" other countries in education is because our education system is so different. We believe in fair and equal education for everyone. In Europe most children are tracked, meaning they are tested and if they are not smart enough they are put into different programs or schools. I have a friend who is Japanese she told me if you don't study hard there you stop going to school when you are in high school and put in the work force or are given a trade. Only the smart and talented people get to continue their education.

I am not saying this is right or wrong, but having motivated students is alot easier to teach then having students who don't want to be there and don't really care.

In fact in the 1980's a member of the Chinese government came to DC to visit with Reagan to talk about Education...Reagan wanted to pick his brain about education when the Chinese official said he could not get over the fact that we educate everyone, that they don't do that in China.

I also believe because we have a test measuring these kids we have to teach test answers and can't teach children how to learn or think for themselves.

I hope our next pres will have a person who has been in education as the secretary of education. Someone that knows that test scores do not define a child.

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private schools can kick you out for no reason. So if your child has a behavior problem or is not performing well enough in a private school...they can kick you out and send you back to your home public school.

Or because the kid is gay. Or because the kid's PARENTS are gay.

How would failing schools "fix" themselves????? With what money???? How will failing schools be judged???? Cause I know some "blue ribbon" schools that have students classified if they can not pass standardize tests( and these kids are A students with no learning disabilities) so they won't be called a failing school. Also they have to take in account that most of the "failing" schools have more special needs students and behavioral issues (we can't just kick them out like private or charter schools).

How about giving money to these failing schools so they can have the same opportunities as the rich districts????? Or are we to busy giving more money to Iraq??? Invest in programs that are working in schools that are "passing". Early Childhood Education will also help. My school has an Early Childhood center for the past 7 years. Our 7th graders are scoring in the 80 percentile in math and the 90's in Reading

Also in most private schools the teachers are not certified nor do they have a degree in teaching, nor do they have to follow state standards, or testing, or curriculum. I went to a private school for 8 years, when I went to public high school I was a year behind in Math

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"What people who are not in education don't seem to understand is that the reason we are so far "behind" other countries in education is because our education system is so different. We believe in fair and equal education for everyone. In Europe most children are tracked, meaning they are tested and if they are not smart enough they are put into different programs or schools. I have a friend who is Japanese she told me if you don't study hard there you stop going to school when you are in high school and put in the work force or are given a trade. Only the smart and talented people get to continue their education."

THANK YOU VIOLET!! I was going to make that point myself. It's the reason that American Public Schools sometimes look so far behind in stats!

All right, as a teacher also in a public school, I wanted to make sure my information and knowledge of this is right, and you all reassured me that where I was coming from is exactly correct. Violet, Erik, mjhf -- your points are all exactly what I thought.

Goth, your backwards views of things CONTINUE to amaze me. This statement: "the teacher's union has zero respect for children or education" may be the single craziest thing I've read on here.

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Updated On: 10/16/08 at 12:02 PM

Amen, Violet!

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That's my favorite part of the whole thing - that it's OUR fault the kids are failing. Our system is NOT funded properly to handle the demands placed on it, and I work in a fairly well-off district. The solution to our educational problems, which ALL teachers know, is to A)pay teachers what they're worth, and B)for government to understand the concept of differentiation: one that ANY teacher worth his or her salt lives by on a daily basis.

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Last night, DC Superintendent Michelle Rhee issued a statement regarding talk in the debate of school vouchers and her support of them.


Excerpt from the Washington Post:

Education reform, largely a footnote in the presidential campaign, emerged at the tail end of last night's debate in a brief exchange between the candidates over whether D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee supports vouchers or charter schools.

Rhee has not taken a formal position on vouchers but has been generally supportive of school choice. She told the Wall Street Journal this year that she would "never, as long as I am in this role, do anything to limit another parent's ability to make a choice for their child. Ever."

Spokeswoman Dena Iverson said in a statement that Rhee and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) "strongly believe that all families in the District of Columbia must have access to excellent public school options." But the chancellor "disagrees with the notion that vouchers are the remedy for repairing the city's school system," Iverson said.

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it really isn't the governments job to educate the children of this county. that job is primarily the parents job. school vouchers will help make it clear that the socialist model of education is out dated and doesn't work. private schools have a higher rate of academic achievement and it doesn't cost the government any money. vouchers are a perfect way to phase us out of the expensive socialist education program and lead us to a private profit market based system. i hope it happens soon, because the country needs it.

its not the governments job because the government is established to do the things can't be done by the individual. individuals can teach or hire someone to teach. the government is too big and too intrusive in the live of people. the whole education system needs to be turned over to the private market. you will get a better educated class and not waste taxpayer money one of the most wasteful socialist programs.

Yes, but the right wing depends on an uneducated, uninformed public to maintain their power base.