Voucher-participating private schools are less racially segregated than public schools, says Herb Walberg, a fellow with the Hoover Institution.

According to Jay Greene and Marcus Winters's evaluation of the first year of the Washington, D.C., voucher program:

• Voucher students, 94 percent of whom are black, attended private schools that are more racially integrated than the District's public schools.
• Neither public nor participating private schools in Washington, D.C., are racially integrated in proportion to the city's population, but the voucher program did help create more opportunities for integration than would have otherwise existed.

Research on Cleveland's voucher program similarly indicates greater racial integration of voucher users:

• The Cleveland Scholarship Program began in the 1996-97 school year and provides up to $2,250 per student to attend one of 51 private schools.
• Nearly one-fifth (19 percent) of voucher students attended a racially integrated school, compared with only 5.2 percent of Cleveland public school students.
• Some 61 percent of public school students in the metropolitan area attended schools that were racially segregated (where more than 90 percent of students were of the same background) compared to 50 percent of the students attending private schools with voucher students.

Religious schools were initially ineligible to participate in Milwaukee's voucher program. That prohibition was subsequently lifted, and an evaluation of the program showed that Milwaukee's voucher-accepting religious schools are now better integrated than the city's public schools:

• In 1990-91, 341 students used vouchers to attend seven schools, and by 2001-02, 10,882 students used vouchers to attend 106 different schools.
• While 54.4 percent of Milwaukee public school students attended racially isolated schools in 2001-02, only 41.8 percent attended similarly racially isolated private religious schools in the voucher program.
• The program allowed some students who would otherwise have been racially isolated to attend less-segregated private religious schools.

Vouchers Could Desegregate Schools Better Than Buses - by Herb Walberg - The Heartland Institute

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"If capitalism had never existed, any honest humanitarian should have been struggling to invent it. But when you see men struggling to evade its existence, to misrepresent its nature, and to destroy its last remnants - you may be sure that whatever their motives, love for man is not one of them." - Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Coyote Blog


Americans Indians support oil drilling in ANWR.

Vouchers are perhaps the best example of righty, simplistic thinking.

Private school tuition is several thousand dollars. A $2000 voucher is nothing more than a tax rebate for the wealthier. Parochial schools are less, and I understand that fundis feel the need for gov't help, but I'm against gov't sponsorship of religion. If you want a theocracy, move to Iran.

Beyond that, the supposed better performance by private schools is mostly an illusion. It is based upon having more motivated students and parents, rather than better teachers or better methods. Public schools require more in teacher qualification than do private schools generally. Also, private schools can pick and choose their students and expel any they don't want. Public schools generally cannot expel anyone under 16, unless there is a demonstrable threat to public safety.

Okay, the normal righty response is to say, "To hell with those unmotivated ones. I got mine; up yours!" One problem with this is that having an uneducated work force is bad for everyone. Oh, and on that point: Americans are still the most productive workers in the world - something to remember with all the hand-wringing over our "terrible" education system.

There is one final bit of logic that works to defeat righty simplicity. All the plans that rely on moving students around as some kind of solution forget one obvious point. Wherever the students are moved, you will have to move those evil, incompetent, greedy teachers also - the same ones. If a school gets more students, it will have to hire more teachers. Where do you think they will come from.

On a personal gripe ... it is common to see people who would never peer over the shoulder of their mechanic and offer advice, expound authoritatively on all matters educational. It is, by and large, oral flatulence.

If you bothered to read the report posted above you would know the low income children receive vouchers. You statement doesn’t make any sense.


I’m against theocracy too, however vouchers don’t fund religion they fund children’s education. If a parent chooses to use the voucher for a Parochial school they are purchasing a secular service.

__________________
"If capitalism had never existed, any honest humanitarian should have been struggling to invent it. But when you see men struggling to evade its existence, to misrepresent its nature, and to destroy its last remnants - you may be sure that whatever their motives, love for man is not one of them." - Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Coyote Blog


Americans Indians support oil drilling in ANWR.

Coyote:

If you bothered to read the report posted above you would know the low income children receive vouchers. You statement doesn’t make any sense.

If you had another brain cell, you would know those vouchers are useless except in parachial schools. And if you believe the education they provide is completely secular, you are too far gone for further discussion.

At that, you ignored the rest of my points. Vouchers are a simplistic solution that work only for simple minds.

This is not the case in places were school vouchers are provided. Some parents use their vouchers for secular private schools some do not.

That’s completely irrelevant the vouchers go to the parents hence the government is not funding religion.


Your other points are straw men.

__________________
"If capitalism had never existed, any honest humanitarian should have been struggling to invent it. But when you see men struggling to evade its existence, to misrepresent its nature, and to destroy its last remnants - you may be sure that whatever their motives, love for man is not one of them." - Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Coyote Blog


Americans Indians support oil drilling in ANWR.

Vouchers are great as long as all schools also have the power of choice...not just the private schools. When people ask me about my opinion on School Choice, I tell them ALL schools should have the choice as to what students they would accept. Those students not accepted by any school...they can work in the fields...then we have no illegal problem.

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"I consider Homo anal sex to be a religion." - Wow, AWE poster.

In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as a Government School. All schools would be private institutions and the Government would only provide vouchers and tuition for poor and the middle class, making rich families pay for their own education.

It would decrease the tax burden, eliminate the vile power of Teacher's Unions, and generally provide better Education for all Children.

__________________
"It is the Right of the People to alter or abolish the Government"
Declaration of Independence
"Never trouble another for what you can do for yourself."
Thomas Jefferson
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand."
Milton Friedman

Be still my heart.

Who would provide standardization and quality control of the education our American children are getting?

__________________
"I consider Homo anal sex to be a religion." - Wow, AWE poster.

We are dealing with people who want to build a bridge to the 19th century. They have memorized "supply and demand," thus convincing themselves they have mastered economics. The appeal to rightards of simplistic solutions to everything is that it gives them a sense of power. They feel they understand something.

So, they long for the good, old days, when the gov't wouldn't take part of what they earn during their infrequent times of employment to pay for public education. I mean, what good did it do them? No, we don't need no education ... except for those who can afford it. America got along just fine in the 1800s without it. What was good enough for grandpa is good enough ...