Friday School Choice News
Earlier this week we noted the results of a new survey finding that DC parents overwhelmingly support school choice. This continues to make headlines:
To read the full survey results and report, visit the Friedman Foundation.
And in exciting news for DC families, yesterday a bi-partisan group of Senators led by Senator Joe Lieberman announced legislation to save the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. The legislation includes co-sponsors Diane Feinstein (D-CA), George Voinovich (R-OH), Robert Byrd (D-WV) and John Ensign (R-NV).
From the press release from the Alliance for School Choice:
“This is not a liberal program or a conservative program, but a program that puts children first,” Lieberman said. “And I am proud to say that it’s working.”
Under Senator Lieberman’s bill, the program would be preserved and strengthened significantly. The Lieberman bill would increase scholarship amounts to $9,000 for K-8 students and $11,000 for high school students—indexing the scholarship amounts to inflation. While these amounts remain significantly below the amounts for the D.C. Public Schools, they provide the necessary increases to account for inflation over the past five years.
Several stories have run on this development:
- Senate introduces bill augmenting D.C. voucher program
- Liberal and Conservative Senators Unite on Bill to Reinstate D.C. School Vouchers
Collins, meanwhile, noted that a little girl sitting in the front row was wearing a sticker reading, “What about me?”
“I think that’s the question that you should ask anyone who is opposing our efforts to extend this important program — you should ask, ‘What about me? Don’t I deserve a good education?’
Obstacles to Change
We are all too familiar of the challenges faced by those of supporting substantive educational reforms. As this editorial from The Oklahoman notes, our system of public education is far too comfortable with the status quo and they usually are more likely to take the path of least resistance instead of endeavoring to find real changes that can improve educational opportunities for students.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan charged that officials overseeing many of the nation’s poorest performing schools had taken “the path of least resistance” and opted out of making bold changes to improve student achievement. He’s right, and not just on the matter of turning around failing schools.
The path of least resistance — and its close friend status quo — is no stranger to the nation’s schools. How else to explain the prevailing seniority rules compensation system, the continued resistance to charter schools and the dearth of true school choice for children who desperately need it (including those in the president’s own backyard)?
And while we think it is great that Secretary Duncan is calling out members of the National Education Association (teacher’s union), we want to see whether he will truly stand up to them and fight for real change. Sadly the President’s unwillingness to fight to save the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program does not give us great hope.
“D.C. residents want school choice and reform”
… AND they “overwhelmingly support the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.”
Not that it comes as much of a surprise, but a recent poll found that 74% of DC respondents favor or strongly favor the scholarship program. More than 80% of parents of school-aged children support the program- and 79% of parents oppose ending the program- as proposed by Congress and the current Administration.
”While Congress and the Obama administration are allowing fewer scholarships, this poll shows D.C. families want even more,” said former D.C. Council member Kevin P. Chavous. “They need to wake up. This program needs to be continued and expanded, not shut down.”
For the full article from the Washington Times, visit online here.
“Charter Schools Don’t Hurt Traditional Schools”
A study conducted by the RAND Corporation looks at the impact of charter schools, and finds that charter schools do not negatively impact public schools.
From the Heartland Institute’s School Reform News:
A new study by the RAND Corporation found charter schools do not harm conventional public schools and charter students are more likely to graduate high school and go on to college than other public school children.
The study took a closer examination of the topic than any previously released, according to its authors. Researchers mapped the test scores and post-graduation achievement of millions of students at thousands of schools.
Of the findings:
* Charter schools are not “skimming the cream” of students, as some critics have worried. Students’ academic achievement was comparable to that of students at traditional public schools. Furthermore, demographics and racial/ethnic compositions also were comparable between the charter schools and the public schools the students had left.
* Traditional public schools are unharmed by charter growth. The research showed no effect, either positive or negative, on the academic achievement of nearby public school students’ performance as charter schools expanded into their districts.
Even Chris Matthews Supports Saving School Choice in D.C.
We have talked about the battle to save DC’s school choice program before. Now, from the Heritage Foundation’s blog, The Foundry, we find this great post and video clip from MSNBC’s Chris Matthews interviewing Michael Steele and discussing school choice in DC.
In the interview, Chris Matthews expresses his support for keeping the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, stating that, “These opportunity scholarships should be maintained.”
Dreams
School choice for military dependents?
The Marine Corps Times is reporting a federal proposal to provide school choice to children of military men and women.
A key senator has come up with a proposal to subsidize attendance at private or charter schools for military dependents.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, ranking Republican on the Senate armed services subcommittee on personnel, proposes a pilot program where the Defense Department would give “scholarships” to selected elementary and secondary school students that could be used to pay for private schools or the charter schools.
One military spouse testified:
“To have our children in one area with quality blue ribbon schools and then be reassigned to a location where the schools are rated below average is distressing to families,” Davis said. “Our kids’ education should not have to suffer because of military obligations.”
Read the full article online here.
Video: Another face of school choice
One of the things we’ve tried to do here on our blog is show you the faces of school choice- the real children and families who benefit from school choice programs around the country.
Here is another moving story, shared by the Institute for Justice, from a family in Arizona whose special needs daughter has seen tremendous progress from a school choice scholarship.
Encouraging School Choice News from Arizona
Arizona families got some good news last week as the Governor and legislature took action to protect school choice tax credit programs.
The Alliance for School Choice reported:
School choice initiatives that benefit Arizona’s children and taxpayers were strengthened last night, when Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation to improve two scholarship tax credit programs.
Brewer signed legislation that eliminated the “sunset” provision on the state’s Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit. Enacted in 2006, this program allows corporations to receive tax credits for donating to nonprofits that offer scholarships so that low-income children can attend private schools.
The legislation also expanded the base of businesses that can contribute to the program by adding insurance companies—which pay premium taxes, not income taxes. This year, nearly 2,000 children benefit from the program.
This is great news for Arizona families, students and taxpayers. Let’s work to have Virginia follow Arizona’s leadership on education reform!
In signing another bill, Brewer allowed individuals to make paycheck contributions to School Tuition Organizations on a weekly or monthly basis—instead of in just one sum of $500. This legislation—which provides more efficient access to education donations for Arizona’s taxpayers—will likely expand the number of donors to the program. The program benefits more than 27,000 children this year.
No money for schools?
It seems like folks in DC (at least those in Congress) have plenty of money to go around- unfortunately in the District it seems someone forgot to write the check for schools- DC Charter schools, that is.
“This is part of an ongoing outrage characterized by indifference to the reality of trying to run a charter school for D.C. public school children,” said Robert Cane, executive director of advocacy group Friends of Choice in Public Schools. Cane’s group, along with the schools, learned about the funding shortfall Tuesday evening, one day before the dollars were supposed to be in the bank.
Charter schools operate independently and are often small, penny-pinching organizations.
