Researchers
studying voucher systems in communities like Cleveland and Milwaukee
where they have been in place for years, have found no significant
academic improvement between students using a voucher paid with tax
dollars to attend private schools and their public school
counterparts. So if vouchers don't fix academic problems why are so
many in Raleigh pushing so hard for them? Because it passes the buck.
Voucher
systems allow politicians to wash their hands of their most important
and challenging responsibility, ensuring that every child receives
the best education possible. When you think about the history of
education in this country, we've only just started to expect every
child will meet high educational standards. It's an expectation that,
if achieved, will set the United States apart from so many other
nations and it's a standard that will be the foundation of our
continued success.
Meeting
this goal requires hard work and sacrifice because as we all know
there are many challenges to educating our children. But our students
are meeting those challenges and our teachers are meeting those
challenges and parents are meeting those challenges but our elected
leaders aren't. The work is too hard for them, it seems. The
sacrifices too great.
So
instead they're looking to pass the buck under the guise of being
advocates for choice. What these politicians are choosing to do is
get you off their backs.
If
your child's public school isn't meeting your standards, you can
demand your elected officials do something about it. But like we said
earlier, getting the job done isn't easy and failing to do so has
cost more than a few politicians their office.
So if
you're professional politician how do you divert such a dangerous
political hot potato? Pass it off on the private sector. You can
almost imagine the phone conversation in a senator's office.
“You
say you're worried about the academic performance of your son's
public school? Well here's a voucher to try a private school.”
Then
two months later:
“What's
that? Your son's private school isn't meeting your expectations
Hmm...caveat emptor.”
It's
also interesting to note that many of the same Raleigh politicians
backing the voucher system, which would provide next to no public
oversight into how our tax dollars are spent by private schools, are
the same Raleigh politicians pushing for even stricter accountability
for public schools, with efforts like tying teacher pay to student
achievement. If legislators believe these reforms are what's needed
to improve our public schools, why would they funnel our tax dollars
to private schools where those measures are not in place?
Guilford
Education Alliance isn't arguing that private schools are bad. We're
simply arguing that they aren't inherently better than public schools
nor are they a panacea for the issues our state faces as we endeavor
to provide every child with the highest quality education possible.
What Guilford Education Alliance is calling for is leadership willing
to solve problems, not pass the buck.
