Survey Results are in: Virginians Support School Choice - But what do we do next?
So I should start off with apologies for not having a chance to write on this earlier this week, but those of you who follow us on Twitter know that we’ve been trying to keep up with sharing all the coverage of our announcement of the new survey conducted here in Virginia by the Friedman Foundation on education issues.
On Monday, we were honored to be a part of a large group joining the Friedman Foundation in the release of “Virginia’s Opinion on K-12 Education and School Choice.” (The folks from Friedman have told us that our coalition of release partners was larger than any state so far, including: The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, Virginia Catholic Conference, The Family Foundation, The Chase Foundation of Virginia, The Alderson Family Foundation, Virginia Council for Private Education, Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium, Old Dominion Association of Church Schools, Agudath Israel of America - Mid-Atlantic Region, Verizon Virginia, Markel Corporation, Joe Ragan’s Coffee and Office Products, School Choice Virginia, The Lexington Institute, and Americans for Prosperity – Virginia. National organizations include the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), Association of Christian Schools International, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, National Catholic Educational Association, and United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation.)
As if that list of partners wasn’t impressive enough, the findings of the statewide survey added the real punch.
Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to those of us on the ground working for education reforms (and those of us who have ever talked to parents about educational choices for their kids), but a majority of likely voters support school choice options (including tax-credit scholarships, vouchers and charter schools) and would opt for schools other than their traditional public schools.
Now before someone jumps in with the old argument that “well they must all be AGAINST public schools then!” - one of the interesting finds of the survey was that actually a majority of Virginians rate their public schools as good or excellent (which Friedman hasn’t found in other states). But while they have high opinions of their public schools, they STILL support more educational choices, showing again what we’ve said all along that this isn’t about public versus private, and that you can support your traditional public schools AND be for school choice.
Second point- this isn’t some right-wing Republican plot against the public school system. Nope. In fact there is strong support for tax-credit scholarships AND vouchers among Democrats, Republicans and Independents. And that support is significant:
* Tax-credit scholarships: D: 64% | R: 68% | I: 66%
* Vouchers: D: 53% | R: 67% | I: 58%
* Special needs vouchers: D: 81% | R: 79% | I: 76%
Yes, you read that right. The majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents support school choice options- even VOUCHERS! (And here we were being told “voucher” was practically a dirty word!)
Perhaps even more significantly (especially for those of us who enjoy the numbers game), the favor-oppose gaps between those who support versus those who stated their oppposition to these choice options was very large.
* Tax-credit scholarships: D: +43% | R: +46% | I: +44%
* Vouchers: D: +15% | R: +39% | I: +22%
* Special needs vouchers: D: +67% | R: +64% | I: +60%
So, the big question has been: Well, what does this all mean for Virginia?
Well, some of that is in your hands. While we are doing our part to share the results of this survey with newly elected lawmakers, the media, parents and other policy-influencers, you can help by getting involved! Share this survey with your Delegate and Senator. Ask them if they will support education reforms that will provide parents greater access to educational options. Because at the end of the day, a survey is good at telling you the overview, but actually hearing directly from voters living in your own legislative district is even better. So join us in sharing this survey- and join us in sharing your support for education reforms!
Congratulations!
There has already been plenty written about Tuesday’s elections here in the Commonwealth, and we have no doubt that plenty more will be written in the coming days and coming months.
We here at School Choice Virginia simply wish to extend our sincere congratulations to Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell, Lieutentant Governor Bill Bolling (on his re-election) and Attorney General-Elect Ken Cuccinelli, along with all the newly elected and returning members of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Mr. McDonnell has been a strong supporter of school choice and education reforms during his years serving in the legislature and as Virginia’s Attorney General- and we shared some about his campaign platform on education reform here on our blog. We look forward to working with the Governor-elect, the new administration, and the legislature to continue to promote education reforms that will give all children greater access to the educational options to help them succeed.
Making education a priority
Hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful weekend!
Over the weekend, I was thinking about our fight for education reform (not that that comes as much of a surprise, I’m sure)- and I had to wonder where it “ranks” for most folks. As I see the political campaigns out doing their door-to-door walks, and watch one campaign commercial after another on tv- I hear about “transportation solutions” and “jobs,” but when it comes to education reforms, things seem to go quiet.
Okay, so I’ve seen plenty of political surveys- and I know that usually generic “education” ranks as a top priority for most voters. Sadly when it comes to “solutions” for education- too many politicians come up short.
Oh sure, we all hear their soundbites: “I’m FOR education.” (What does that even mean??) “I’m for increasing education funding.” (But can you show me where that funding will produce measurable results??) “I support our public schools.” (Gee, that’s great, but what about those public schools that aren’t working for all our kids?)
And what gets me even more is those politicians- like my neighbor- who simply stick the teachers’ union “endorsed” stickers to their yard signs. As if that is going to convince me they are really strong on education. If anything that tells me that they are going to put unions first, which too often means putting kids last.
Derrell Bradford, of E3 (Excellent Education for Everyone)- an awesome organization out of New Jersey working for ed reform- was on MSNBC last week and had a great line about “our schools are organized in ways that make adults happy, but are not serving our children…”
And sadly that seems all too true. But what is worse- why won’t anyone do anything about it?
Shouldn’t parents demand more from the educational system? Shouldn’t we demand more of politicians? They are quick to offer “solutions” for so many other areas of our lives (whether government has any business getting involved or not), but when it comes to our kids, why do so many of them seem more worried about appeasing the teachers’ unions than actually proposing real solutions that will help children to actually succeed?
In this article, Education - ‘the great equalizer’ from One News Now, Mr. Bradford explains:
“Every person has to make education a priority — every child, every parent,” he contends. “It is a serious thing, it is the thing, it is the great equalizer, and it is how we will fix much that ails this great nation.”
And we couldn’t agree more. And in making education a priority, we have to stop letting unions dictate what needs to be done to improve education. Parents need to recognize that the unions are in it to protect their membership- not stand up for children. Parents have to be the ones to stand up for their children and demand better.
He adds that at the same time leaders cannot tell children to take education seriously and then continue to send them to failing schools. Bradford believes that educational choice is key to success — and that with choice, children can get a superior education at a fraction of the cost the government is currently spending per child.
We can no longer sit back and allow politicians to feed us empty lines about “supporting education.” We can no longer allow solutions that do not put kids first. And bottom line- we can no longer accept education reforms that do not allow parental choice to be a part of the solution.
Tolerance and Acceptance?
I’m not sure what exactly it was that made me think about this earlier this morning, but it reminded me about this great post by Matthew Ladner on Jay Greene’s blog last week, “Private Schools and the Public Interest.”
Mr. Ladner writes about a couple of recent reports from the Goldwater Institute: “Private School Students More Tolerant and Politically Accepting.” He notes:
I could fish up absurd quotes from people about how only public schools can teach proper civic values, and how scary private schools under a choice system are certain to indoctrinate children into all sorts of dangerous anti-democratic ideologies. You being a discriminating consumer of education blogs, however, makes the task unnecessary.
(It was probably one of those absurd quotes that reminded me of this blog post… but like Mr. Ladner, I won’t waste my time trying to dig one up for you.)
Anyways, the findings are very interesting- and I know they’ll come as a great shock to some staunch defenders of the public school system.
From the Goldwater Institute’s press release on the survey:
“My school teaches me to value, respect and tolerate differences in others.”
76 percent of students in private school agree with that statement, compared with 51 percent of students in public school.“My school treats all students with respect regardless of race.”
64 percent of students in private high school agree with that statement, compared with 40 percent of public school students.
Anyways, we encourage you to check out the blog and the report. Good reads.
And if you’re looking for some more Friday reading, good article from Louisiana about a relatively civil discussion about educational options.
Accountability?
This headline in the DC Examiner this morning caught my eye: “To save D.C. school vouchers, senators want accountability.” Well that sounds good- right? Yes, sure, we want ALL our schools to be accountable. So of course my next question was: “what about the (complete lack of) accountability in the DC public schools?” Humm… any of you guys want to give me an answer on that one? Accountability goes both ways.
Fortunately, the reporter gets it, and from the very beginning, she acknowledges that:
The call for more data to determine student success gets at the heart of the school choice debate: What determines the viability of a school: parental standards or government standards?
Sadly, it seems most politicians have lost all trust in the human race and our ability to do anything without the wise and wonderful hand of government telling us what to do and helping to make sure we know exactly how to live our lives.
I am ALL for accountability- especially when it comes to spending of taxpayer dollars. It is a good thing- but it must also be balanced. As we’ve argued here before- what should our education dollars be funding- education or schools? If we believe that education is the goal- let’s put accountability back in the hands of consumers. If parents have the ability to take their child out of a failing school- isn’t that accountability? If a parent has no options- and a school is failing their child- isn’t that a lack of accountability? Simply providing test scores and statistics to a government bureaucracy does not make a school accountable- does it?
Senator Dick Durbin and his cronies want us to believe that they are really looking out for the best interest of students with their empty talk about accountability for voucher students, when they have shown little genuine concern about the accountability of the DC public schools that are consistently failing students. Sure- maybe they have the enrollment numbers, the test scores, the drop-out rates- but when those public schools are consistently performing the worst in the entire nation- is there any real accountability?
I know that by now I shouldn’t be surprised, and that perhaps I shouldn’t let it get to me as much as it does, but our kids deserve better.
You decide: What “works” in education?
The Heritage Foundation’s The Foundry Blog shares: Universal School Choice Prevails – For Sweden. Yeah, you read that right. Sweden.
In socialist Sweden, universal school choice allows every parent to choose the best school for their child. The voucher program, which has been in effect since 1992 and was created to tackle the kind of problems plaguing the U.S. educational system, provides families with the opportunity to send their child to any type of school they like – public, private, religious, or even for-profit. Stuart Butler, Heritage Vice President of domestic policy studies, explains in Washington Times:
“These independent schools, like the public schools, get a voucher payment for each child. They compete vigorously with one other because the money follows the child to the school of his or her choice. Schools must satisfy their customers … or lose them.”
Sure it’s still Sweden, so there are some drawbacks- schools must all follow a national curriculum and testing- but perhaps there is something to be learned from this model. Schools are given control over their programs and teaching styles, and are actually being forced to satisfy customers, i.e. families? Now that is an ed reform that makes some sense.
Meanwhile, back here in the States, we have teacher’s unions and others actually blocking the doors to children at a charter school. As in last week. September 2009! Really? Is that what the world is coming to? Are unions so threatened by competition that they’ll have members yell at children simply trying to get into their school so they can actually learn?!
Pathetic doesn’t even begin to describe it…
What works? You decide.
You Decide ‘09: Outdated promises or real reform?
Arriving home on Saturday afternoon after running some errands, my hands were full of bags as I encountered a father and son at my door. Ah yes, campaign season is in full swing!
Since my hands were full, and I was eager to unload my groceries, I didn’t stop to talk to the pair- simply thanked them for their time, and they were back on their way.
After the fact, I wished I had stopped the father and son to talk- and more specifically, ask them what their candidate proposed to do to improve the son’s education- to improve education for all of Virginia’s kids. Now I know that these were just two volunteers out with their prepared campaign lit (trust me, I’ve been there plenty there plenty of times myself), but it would have been interesting to hear what their “talking points” on education would have been. More funding? More teacher pay? More money in the classroom? Accountability? Sure, those may be good sound bites, but do they really improve education?
Well the folks at the Washington Post Editorial Board must have been reading my mind (which believe me, is a scary and pretty surreal thing, since I can certainly count on one hand the times the Post and I agree on things…) But sure enough, there was the Post, calling both candidates for governor to task and challenging them to stand up for real education reforms.
Their editorial: Old School in Virginia: Instead of making outdated promises, the gubernatorial candidates should be promoting education reform.
The Post makes the argument that while candidates’ pledges to raise teacher salaries might make a good sound-bite, there is no evidence that it will do anything to actually improve education. While it might be a good move in appeasing the teacher’s unions, it doesn’t equal results. Real education reforms are needed to create real results.
The Post did have some praise for Mr. McDonnell for part of his platform on education.
There are some glimpses of that willingness in the gubernatorial campaigns. We admire Mr. McDonnell’s outspoken support for charter schools; Mr. Deeds has interesting ideas on how to encourage people to become teachers in Virginia. Both see the need for toughening standards. Each says that he supports the concept of performance pay, Mr. McDonnell more convincingly than Mr. Deeds. But neither has fully developed proposals that he is really pushing.
Will Bob McDonnell or Creigh Deeds heed this advice and start promoting substantive reforms? Will they break free from the old school and give Virginians some 21st century solutions?
This year’s other elections up in New Jersey are already seeing education playing a bigger role in the campaigns. Also on Sunday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that “Schools fuel the NJ race for Governor.” The headline should have probably said “education” instead of “schools,” but that aside, it is clear that all 3 candidates in NJ are pushing hard on education and making it a priority in this campaign.
Virginia voters should also demand that education be a priority in the campaign, and not just the same old “outdated promises.” Our children deserve real solutions and real results- not sound-bites and the status quo.
Arianna Huffington supports school choice?
Sounds like she does.
We mentioned this article briefly in passing over the holiday weekend (in a link from Democrats for Education Reform), but in case you missed it, Ms. Huffington’s article, “So We Can’t Have Single Payer for Health Care, But How About Single Payer for Education?” is definitely worth a read.
Comments about healthcare aside, Ms. Huffington actually does make the case about the urgent need for education reform.
It’s time we start looking at education reform in bold and different ways, to stop protecting little parcels of partisan turf and start thinking outside the box. To consider the possibilities. To look past our own political backyards at what might lie on the other side of the mountain.
What I see on the other side of the mountain is a single-payer education system.
Yes, it appears the Ms. Huffington is advocating for education vouchers- having existing education funding follow the child- regardless of where they go to school.
In a single-payer education plan, the federal government, in conjunction with the states, would provide an education allotment for every parent of a K-12 child. Parents would then be free to enroll their child in the school of their choice.
Imagine that- a system where PARENTS, not bureaucrats make decisions about where best to educate their child. A system where we are truly funding education- not simply funding schools.
We applaud Ms. Huffington for recognizing the need for real education reforms- reforms that put kids and parents first- not unions and bureaucracies. The time for these changes are now. Our children deserve more than grown ups playing politics with their futures.
What Abraham Lincoln said in his second annual address to Congress in 1862 applies powerfully to today’s education crisis: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present…. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”
And when it comes to saving out children, there is not a moment to waste.
Reform? Go for the whole package!
Great letter to the editor in The Indianapolis Star from Robert Enlow, President of the Friedman Foundation.
As we’ve noted, Indiana has recently joined the ever-growing list of states to embrace school choice, and Governor Mitch Daniels recently hosted former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to share Florida’s successes with education reform.
In his letter, “Go for whole package of school reform, not pieces,” Mr. Enlow urges support for a comprehensive package of education reforms for Indiana in order to ensure success for students. He writes:
Bush argued for a comprehensive package of reforms, all of which were critical to Florida’s success. In his remarks to the Education Roundtable, clear accountability (grading schools), good incentives (merit pay) and real consequences (school choice) were inextricably linked. Without each component working together, success would not have been possible, a fact evidenced by a recent study showing that improvement among failing public schools went from double digits to zero after the Florida Supreme Court removed the school voucher option.
There is no one silver bullet to improve education. But a comprehensive package of reforms, including greater accountability and school choice, will help to give all students a better chance at academic success.
Virginia leaders, too, should take note. While we are encouraged by greater talk about charter schools from the two candidates for Governor, Virginians need to ask whether these candidates are ready to stand up and support a broad package of comprehensive education reforms- a package that includes greater parental choice in education.
Will you make a difference?
With yesterday’s events in DC, I didn’t have a chance to post this article in the Washington Times from Dan Lips at the Heritage Foundation: “A back-to-school wake-up call.“
In the article, Mr. Lips examines the cost of public education in this country, but also points out that we don’t always get the bang-for-our-bucks that we should expect (and even demand) from our investment.
The typical child entering first grade this year can expect taxpayers to spend more than $100,000 on his or her education through high school. (The Department of Education reports the average annual per-pupil expenditure in U.S. public schools is now more than $10,000.) But the data show that, all too often, our six-figure investment in every child’s future doesn’t guarantee a quality education.
What we particularly liked about this article is that Mr. Lips gives parents a homework assignment: get involved. Parents cannot expect special interests (like teacher’s unions) to fight for what is best for their kids. Instead, of hoping that elected leaders and education bureaucrats will “do the right thing,” parents must themselves become educated- and make sure their voice is heard- if they really want education reforms that will make a real difference in our children’s education and our future.
As kids go back to school, here’s some homework for adults for the upcoming school year. Become informed and make your voice heard in debates about education. Learn about what we’re spending on our public schools and what we’re seeing in terms of student performance. Follow what is happening in the state legislature and on the local school board.
Write a letter to the editor and make your opinions known. Challenge your elected representatives and demand that they put the interests of kids ahead of the special interest groups.
It will take hard work. But if enough people get involved and demand serious reform, we can fix the chronic problems that plague our nation’s public schools. The future of millions of children — indeed, of the nation itself — depends on it.
We invited you to get involved today. Help make a difference for your children- and for all our children. They are counting on us.
