Surprise!
Okay, so maybe it comes as little surprise to those of us who have been advocating for school choice for some time, but in a new study released by the C. D. Howe Institute shows what we have been saying for years- “Competition Improves Performance.”
In the Heartland Institute’s January 2009 edition of School Reform News, it is reported (once again) that “when schools have to fight for funding, students—and taxpayers—get more for their money in the form of improved scores on standardized tests.”
“The study shows that when schools have to fight for public funding by attracting students, those schools compete and students perform better,” said Ben Dachis, a policy analyst at C. D. Howe, which released the study in October.
No surprise for us here, but another nice piece of evidence of how school choice works for students, for families, and for taxpayers, as we get ready to start a new year, and a new Virginia General Assembly Session!
In the news: “Education Tax Credits Needed Now”
Looks like more voices are entering the discussion here in Virginia about the need for educational options for Virginia students- which is always a good thing. In this op-ed in the Harrisonburg Daily News Record, Adam Schaeffer (a senior fellow with the Education Reform Initiative at the Virginia Institute for Public Policy, and a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom) writes about the need for education tax credits here in the Commonwealth.
While many of his points are dead-on, and we appreciate his support for efforts to give families greater access to options when it comes to educating their children, we do take issue with his accusations that, “Virginia’s politicians still haven’t learned a thing about education reform.”
Mr. Schaeffer is right, in part, many of Virginia’s lawmakers are behind the curve when it comes to issues of real education reform, instead getting caught up in the VEA’s constant focus on dollars and cents (rather than children and results). Thankfully, not all lawmakers are unaware of the real need for reforms that will give families and students real opportunities for success.
Delegate Chris Saxman, founder and Chairman of School Choice Virginia, has been a leader on this issue in the Commonwealth for several years, gaining the support of the majority of members of the House of Delegates for the same type of education tax credit legislation proposed by Mr. Schaeffer (see HB1164 from 2008). This legislation has been successful in the House for the last few legislative sessions- only to be stopped in the state Senate (specifically the Senate Finance Committee).
School Choice Virginia is committed to continuing to work to see the passage of real educational reforms for Virginia’s families, and we look forward to more people and organizations joining with us in this effort.
Competing in the Global Economy
So many of the headlines these past few weeks have been stating the concern about the current state of our economy, and with good reason. One important thing we should all consider as we weather the current economic challenges, is what we do to prepare to continue to remain competitive in the ever-increasingly global economy. It’s no longer a matter of comparing how one state ranks compared to another, but now we must be able to compete with nations across the globe.
One critical component to achieve this, is education. Equiping our children, our future work-force, with the knowledge, the critical thinking and the tools they need to be competitive is imperative, and business leaders across the country are recognizing this.
In this article, “How to Succeed in our Global Economy,” for the Friedman Foundation, John Schnatter is the founder, chairman, and former CEO of Papa John’s International, Inc., considers the current state of American education, and explains how choice is critical to make sure we can succeed in a global economy.
In today’s global economy, our children are being educated and trained not only to compete with students in other states, but in nations across the globe. Furthermore, an educated workforce becomes even more important as our society becomes more technologically advanced. By most accounts, our nation’s educational system is failing to adequately educate our students in a manner that will allow our economy to innovate and prosper in the long run.
I’m very troubled by the state of our educational system and how its shortcomings may affect our nation’s economic future. It seems everyday, we hear the experts citing a host of problems as to why our educational system is not operating up to its potential, including lack of funding, limited parental involvement, fewer two parent households, lack of accountability for schools and teachers and the impact of limited school choice. I’d venture to guess that there is no ’silver bullet’ solution to the problem, and that society will need to tackle a number of issues in order to have a substantial impact.
While additional funding might help, funding itself doesn’t seem to be the primary issue, as per capita educational spending on American primary and secondary education has increased 24% (adjusted for inflation) in the past 10 years, and the U.S. spends more per student than nearly every other industrialized nation.
