From The Right

School Vouchers

 

The concept of school vouchers dates back almost 2,000 years to the Roman Lawyer, Pliny the Younger, who planned to establish a secondary school in his home town, but decided to pay only one-third of the cost and require parents to pay the balance (Markets Versus Monopolies in Education: The Historical Evidence, Andrew Coulson, June 1996).  In the U.S., vouchers were first suggested in the 1950s by economist Milton Friedman.  And, although they have yet to be widely implemented in America, some version of the system has since been adopted by other countries, notably France, England, Australia, Sweden, Ireland, Canada and Japan. 

The idea continues to be controversial, perhaps not so much because of any compelling evidence that it works or does not work, but more because of the differing political philosophies of its proponents and detractors, as well as the stakeholders, such as teachers unions, school districts and government. However, it is clear that something major needs to be done to improve education in this country.

Perhaps the most vivid example of the long-term failure of America’s education establishment is an 8th grade final exam given by the Salina, Kansas schools in 1895.  It’s a graphic illustration of the dumbing down of the curriculum over the years and clearly demonstrates how poorly our children are educated today.  If you are interested, it is available online at: www.people.morehead-st.edu/fs/w.willis/eighthgrade.html, where you can see for yourself the superiority of the basic education that American children received at the turn of the 19th Century.

 

The Issues

 

The arguments about school vouchers rage back and forth and, although claims and counterclaims can often be confusing, they generally revolve around three major issues.

 

Educational:

 

According to the National Education Association (NEA), the case against school vouchers is comprised of educational, social and legal issues, which claim that, “Student achievement ought to be the driving force behind any education reform....Where vouchers are in place…..a two-tiered system has been set up that holds students in public and private schools to different standards…..There is no need to set up new threats to schools for not performing.”

However, The Economist noted in a May 2007 article that “….voucher recipients in a major Columbian voucher program were 15-20 percent more likely to finish secondary education, five percentage points less likely to repeat a grade, and were much more likely to take college entrance exams.”

And, according to the officially appointed researchers of the Milwaukee voucher program, “the parents of ‘choice’ kids are virtually unanimous in their opinion of the program: they love it.  Parents are not only far more satisfied with their freely chosen private schools than they were with their former public schools, they participate more actively in their children’s education now that they’ve made the move.” (Source - Fifth Year Report: Milwaukee Parental Choice Program)

 

Social:

 

The NEA also claims, “A voucher lottery is a terrible way to determine access to an education…..Vouchers were not designed to help low-income children….A pure voucher system would only encourage economic, racial, ethnic and religious stratification in our society.”

However, given the widespread failure of American schools, my take is that it makes no sense to continue trying to do more of the same by spending ever increasing amounts of money.  The most glaring example of such thinking is found in Washington, D.C., which spends more money on their schools than almost any other community in America, and gets little or nothing in return.   

In 1999, economist Walter Williams wrote, “Let's examine the education establishment's more-money-better-education sham,” noting, “New Jersey ranks number one in the nation in terms of expenditures per student ($10,900). Washington, D.C. is a close second at $10,300. If educationists are right, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. should have the highest level of student achievement in the land. Think again; New Jersey ranks 29th in student achievement. As for Washington, D.C., the only thing preventing it from being dead last in student achievement is Mississippi.”

Paul Weyrich also observed (SNCNews.com Commentary, September 9, 2003), “If money had any connection with learning, the D.C. children should be at the top of their game.  North Dakota per capita spending is among the lowest in the nation, yet their test scores from the public schools have been among the highest.”

 

Legal:

 

The NEA argues that “About 85 percent of private schools are religious. Vouchers tend to be a means of circumventing the Constitutional prohibitions against subsidizing religious practice and instruction.”

However, in 1998, the Wisconsin state Supreme Court ruled “that the expanded Milwaukee voucher program – which will allow up to 15,000 children to attend any religious or other private school – does not violate either the state or federal constitutions.” (Source: schoolchoices.org).  In addition, “The (U.S.) Supreme Court has upheld vouchers as Constitutional.” (Paul M. Weyrich, SNCNews.com Commentary, September 9, 2003)

 

School Choice

 

Those who argue against school vouchers are often among the most privileged in our society, and send their own children to private schools rather than enroll them in the public institutions.  One such couple is (or was) Bill and Hillary Clinton.  In a classic display of hypocrisy, as President, Bill Clinton “vetoed a federally funded voucher bill that would have given about 2,000 scholarships of up to $3,200 each, to children from low-income families in the District of Columbia’s troubled public school system” (National Center For Policy Analysis, May 1998) and, notwithstanding the fact that Hillary has consistently defended public education and opposed school vouchers for the general population, she and her husband sent their own daughter to Sidwell Friends School, an elite private school in the D.C. area.

In a CNCNews.com Commentary (September 9, 2003), Paul M. Weyrich, citing a “Backgrounder” prepared by the Heritage Foundation noted, “The Heritage survey revealed that 42percent of the Members of Congress who are parents have sent at least one of their children to a private school.  That compares with the general population, where only about 10percent of parents ever send at least one of their children to a private school.”  The Heritage study also noted, “In the past three years, every piece of parental choice legislation would have passed if those who exercised choice in their own families had voted with supporters of school choice.”

I don’t fault politicians for wanting to provide their children with the finest education possible, just for playing politics with the issue and preventing others, especially low-income and inner-city parents, from sending their own children to better schools.

So, where does all this leave us? 

 

Is Change Possible?

 

In my view, some type of “voucher” system is the best option for freeing American parents from the tyranny of what I believe is our failed education system and the bureaucracy that currently controls it.  I happen to believe that a healthy dose of competition would go a long way toward reforming the system.  And, I am not alone: 

Writing in the Sacramento Bee (October 28, 2005), Star Parker observed, “The majority of blacks poll in favor of school vouchers.  This support gets stronger as the focus moves toward younger black voters……Blacks support any innovative ideas that will open the spectrum of opportunities that will get their children educated.  Vouchers are clearly one such important innovation.”

Clark Neily, senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, quoted in a Los Angeles Times article (January 6, 2006) said, “The larger fight here is whether parents should have the ability to choose where their children will go to school, and if they should have this ability whether or not they have the money.  We consider this one of the civil rights issues of the 21st century….”

Unfortunately, I don’t think we can look for any change from the status quo as long as the Democrats, who are joined at the hip with the NEA, continue to control Congress.

© 2007 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved