Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Elizabeth Brown

Examiner.com

Adam Smith purposed that it is the attainment of "greatness and wealth" (once imagined) "which rouses and keeps in continual motion, the industry of mankind"-- the pursuits and inventions that "ennoble and embellish human life." The pleasures of greatness and wealth are never desired or sought if they are not viewed or experienced. Vouchers open doors to another world, a life beyond poverty. A choice system procures freedom and a passionate pursuit of greatness.

President Obama shook the trust of ardent supporters when he signed the bill ending a five year voucher program in the District of Columbia, dismissing the academic gains, the pleas from parents and politicians to keep it,

The D.C. voucher system provided $7,500 in scholarships to 1,700 poor students. The close of the program sends an ambiguous message to the ones who perceived Obama as an icon, a final end to racial barriers. Kevin Chavous, former D.C. Council member and a democratic supporter of school vouchers, called it "...duplicitous and shameful" (Wall Street Journal 12/19/09). Despite strong opposition, and a federal evaluation that concluded "mostly black and Hispanic participants are making significant academic gains and narrowing the achievement gap" the National Education Association (NEA) "instructed lawmakers to kill it."

Since its inception, the voucher system has met with strong opposition from the NEA and union leaders. Consequently, voucher programs are far and few between and funding is limited in most states.

Nevertheless, the voucher system is a scalable system. The Friedman Foundation has reported multiple studies that concluded school choice increases tolerance, academics, and preserves democratic values.

Misconceptions of vouchers promoted by the NEA and school unions include the notion that the voucher system is too costly and will undermine public education, drawing funds and the best and brightest from the system. Yet, Susan Aud, economist of the Friedman Foundation, completed a study on state fiscal effects of school choice from 1990-2006 and concluded that $22 million was saved by state budgets, $422 million for local budgets, and $444 million for taxpayers.

Additionally, top research teams from Harvard, Stanford and the Manhattan Institute have completed numerous studies on the voucher system in Milwaukee, Ohio, Florida, Maine Vermont and Texas to determine the impact of vouchers on public schools. The results unanimously concluded that there was "no impact" and "no empirical data" that showed vouchers harmed public schools.

Another concern is that private schools work against segregation and decrease tolerance. On the contrary, in a study by Cory Forster of The Friedman Foundation who compared segregated levels in private voucher schools and public schools, less segregation was found in the private schools. Most voucher recipients are coming from a segregated school in which close to 95% are minorities. Housing patterns keep the poor out of the affluent neighborhoods.

Magnets and Charters are comparable to private schools in design, but, most times, are created within the urban neighborhood and are 65 to 70 percent minority. Choice is not real when it  restricts students and discourages movement outside a school district.

Vouchers, despite student gains and lower cost are far and few between. Connecticut, for example, is limited:   Children's Educational Opportunity  (CEO) provides scholarships to 400 lower income Hispanics and blacks in Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport. The waiting list is extensive. According to the CEO, academically, students who attend private schools through the government funded voucher system, perform at grade level or higher than their urban counterparts in public schools. Voucher systems close the achievement gap, and level the playing field by providing the poor with equal access to high achieving schools.

Being born into poverty need not be a life sentence. Schools should offer an opportunity out of poverty rather than a propagation of it.

4.5 billion has been put forth in a Race to the Top (RTTT) reform. Past government funded grants and programs rendered marginal results in closing the achievement gap. "The true test" for Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, according to President Obama, is "whatever works." The voucher system ensures freedom and liberty remain at the forefront for all our citizens--rich and poor--and it works.