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The Spectacle Blog
The Bush administration and Republican Congress created a limited voucher program for kids in Washington, D.C., which has one of the worst school systems in the U.S. This effort was opposed by, among others, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who was one of the famed limousine liberals who sent his kids to expensive private schools while opposing giving poor families any choice in education. Indeed, he even launched a filibuster against District children when the idea was first proposed in 1997, calling the measure a “foolish ideological experiment.”
Sen. Kennedy was wrong. Patrick J. Wolf of the University of Arkansas explains:
The achievement results from the D.C. voucher evaluation are also striking when compared to the results from other experimental evaluations of education policies. The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) at the IES has sponsored and overseen 11 studies that are RCTs, including the OSP evaluation. Only 3 of the 11 education interventions tested, when subjected to such a rigorous evaluation, have demonstrated statistically significant achievement impacts overall in either reading or math. The reading impact of the D.C. voucher program is the largest achievement impact yet reported in an RCT evaluation overseen by the NCEE. A second program was found to increase reading outcomes by about 40 percent less than the reading gain from the DC OSP. The third intervention was reported to have boosted math achievement by less than half the amount of the reading gain from the D.C. voucher program. Of the remaining eight NCEE-sponsored RCTs, six of them found no statistically significant achievement impacts overall and the other two showed a mix of no impacts and actual achievement losses from their programs. Many of these studies are in their early stages and might report more impressive achievement results in the future. Still, the D.C. voucher program has proven to be the most effective education policy evaluated by the federal government’s official education research arm so far.
This is the federal initiative which most helps improve educational achievement of the kids who most desperately need help. So the Democratic Congress naturally plans on killing it. When forced to choose between children and teachers’ unions, the Dems know to go with the folks who make campaign contributions. Sorry kids!
View all comments (20) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Doug Bandow
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/08/29/educational-choiceworks
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Bob| 8.29.09 @ 9:59AM
So, Bandow, another political hack job from you? Why don't you tell the WHOLE truth. There was no increase in math scores, only reading scores. Furthermore, only half of the subgroups showed a significant increase in reading scores. As someone familiar with research, I can also tell you that the internal and external factors were not segregated. Those who showed the significant gains were in the upper range of performance where parental involvement was highest.
The study does not determine why we didn't see increases in math, but did see increases in reading. There are hints, but the most likely reason is that private schools spend more time on reading and less time on math (this was stated in the article). Therefore, perhaps the solution is spending the money on parental involvement and more reading emphasis in public schools.
On a larger perspective, Bandow, this type biased post only tends to hurt our country and our society. How can the electorate make good decisions without knowing the facts. This is also what is wrong with the misinformation propounded in the health reform debate.
Before you say it, I find the same bias in the information posted on the left. Our real problem is that the education level of the electorate is weak so they don't demand proper, objective data and analysis from their representatives. Certainly, you and others here don't help that problem.
Since it is our money that pays for this program, we should demand results for that investment. If it takes the better students out of the public system so there is no competition in the public system, a voucher program may cause more damage than help to the population in general. Certainly, for my tax dollars, I'd want to see better scores in BOTH reading and math to indicate it wasn't just the curriculum, but the environment/choice that is making the difference. We can change the curriculum in public schools without spending a dime on a program like this.
That said, there needs to be more study of programs like this until we find a good solution for improving the education of our children. It is highly possible that vouchers will work in some locations and not others. But I fear that politicians don't want to know the real answers on either side as that might disagree with their right wing and left wing ideologies.
Jessie| 8.29.09 @ 3:18PM
Bob, it's the hypocrisy, stupid!
Liberals lie and so does Bob.
"RINO" Bob always tries to defend the indefensible.
Bob| 8.29.09 @ 8:53PM
Well, Jessie, I see that you don't understand research analysis. There is no hypocrisy if the conclusion of the report is wrong.
I'm glad you presented such an intellectual retort. Perhaps you could have used a school voucher.
Pingback| 8.30.09 @ 1:25AM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Educational ChoiceWorks links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Jessie| 8.30.09 @ 2:27AM
It's got NOTHING to do with 'research analysis', dum dum. It's got EVERYTHING to do with elitist liberals saying one thing and doing another--hypocrisy.
If private schools are not superior to public schools why do wealthy liberals send their kids to private school?
You and Obama have two things in common: You're both Harvard graduates and you're both stupid.
Bob| 8.30.09 @ 8:35AM
So, Jessie, are you saying that wealthy conservatives don't send their children to private schools? FYI, when I was raising my children I moved to a good school district and sent them to public schools. They did well and were accepted at some of the best schools. It has everything to do with parents and a good work ethic. I know you don't like good parenting and engendering a strong work ethic -- it is obvious from your posting structure.
Truth to Power| 8.30.09 @ 12:01PM
3/5 Bob's slip is showing again. The fiscal conservative libertarian is no longer pro-choice. Expensive government schools get off his fiscal hook. His advice to the poor residents of Washington D. C. is to move to a better school district. What a phony. His "Republicans are doing it too" is even funnier. If Republicans are voting with liberals whiles sending their kids to private schools then they are hypocrites as well. An unbelievable amount of money has been wasted on these union controlled schools. The schools are bad and the only liberal solution is more money to teachers who aren't getting the job done. Jesse has a point about 3/5 Bob not being too bright.
Pearls Before Swine| 8.30.09 @ 3:10PM
So Bob, how's your crystal ball doing so far? Where's that huge economic recovery 0prompta was (according to you, anyway) going to bring us? How about that supposed tax cut for the middle class? And those wonderful approval ratings he was going to have? If you can't even make accurate predictions about things like that, why should we assume you know anything about anything else? The facts are all against you. You're demonstrably a liar, a moron, a fool, and shill for all things leftist and anti-American; therefore you naturally side with the treasonous and parasitic teachers' union thugs against our children that they're oppressing. Shouldn't you be out with your fellow jackbooted commie fascist union thugs beating up blacks and elderly people at a "town hall" somewhere? Or has your larded posterior finally spread so wide that you can't even pry yourself out of your seat to go do that?
Jessie| 8.30.09 @ 3:59PM
Bob is an elitist tool; obtuse, too. You Fascist Liberals killed the voucher program in Washington DC--not Conservatives: So, it's irrelevant if Conservatives send their kids to private school.
YOU attended private school; I guess you don't think little black kids are smart enough to get the same chance you did, racist. Rich Liberals like you, Bob, are like onions: Peel back enough layers and you always find a bigot at the core.
Nobama| 8.30.09 @ 4:11PM
Bob, the rich, liberal white boy, is so blissfully ignorant of inner city realities that he doesn't understand that most poor minority families DON'T HAVE the wherewithal to move to better school districts.
Hey, no big deal, the poor folks in South Central LA should just move to Beverly Hills, right?
Bob the bigot doesn't care though: Like the liberal elitist he is, his only response is, "Let them eat cake."
Nobama| 8.30.09 @ 4:16PM
Pearls, it's very possible that old Bob has a larded rear end; but his real impediment is that his head is so tightly embedded within it. No wonder he can't see the light!
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