The Problem With Vouchers
The voucher system is a free market system meant to encourage competition in schools and I support the idea from a "free market" point of view. The problem is that people think that a voucher system will have an immediate affect on kids and improve their test scores by giving them access to "better" schools. Most of the kids that are looking for vouchers are in a system that is broken and have been raised in that system for such a long time and are so far behind that a voucher won't help them much.
When a student moves from a bad school to a great school the effect is like trying to jump on a moving train.
The recent study that found that student who move from bad schools to good schools still struggle in math. Duh--- The study assumed that the problem was the teachers. You take a student that is 2 years behind in math competency and you put him in a class where everyone is on level. Is it any real surprise that he's going to struggle? If anything, the pace of the class is going to be affected as the teacher is forced to slow down the instruction. Or worse, the teacher won't slow down and the kid will really be in trouble.
Let's be real. If your student is doing poorly because you are working hard at two jobs and their mom isn't there to help with the homework then sending them to a private school on a voucher isn't going to fix that problem. Again, it's probably only going to make things worse.
Vouchers are good for allowing parents choice but they are not a fix for public education. If anything, it simply puts a magnifying glass on the disparity in cultural expectations.
I have no doubt in the potential that students have to learn. Race doesn't matter. Color doesn't matter. Culture in the community, school, and home are critical.
When a student moves from a bad school to a great school the effect is like trying to jump on a moving train.
The recent study that found that student who move from bad schools to good schools still struggle in math. Duh--- The study assumed that the problem was the teachers. You take a student that is 2 years behind in math competency and you put him in a class where everyone is on level. Is it any real surprise that he's going to struggle? If anything, the pace of the class is going to be affected as the teacher is forced to slow down the instruction. Or worse, the teacher won't slow down and the kid will really be in trouble.
Let's be real. If your student is doing poorly because you are working hard at two jobs and their mom isn't there to help with the homework then sending them to a private school on a voucher isn't going to fix that problem. Again, it's probably only going to make things worse.
Vouchers are good for allowing parents choice but they are not a fix for public education. If anything, it simply puts a magnifying glass on the disparity in cultural expectations.
I have no doubt in the potential that students have to learn. Race doesn't matter. Color doesn't matter. Culture in the community, school, and home are critical.
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