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!
“Public School System, Not Vouchers, Is What’s Unfair”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…
School choice opponents sometimes characterize vouchers as tuition subsidies for the wealthy. Claiming public schools are vastly underfunded, they say the only solution is a dramatic increase in taxpayer funding. They claim voucher programs lead government money away from these schools, leaving poorer students behind.
Okay, so we’ve all heard that argument from those who oppose educational choice, right? But is it true?
William Gangware reports in Heartland Perspectives that this argument just doesn’t hold water when you examine the actual facts of education spending.
According to a 2006 U.S. Department of Education report, average U.S. public school spending is about $9,600 per student. In private schools it’s approximately $6,600 — $3,000 less than public schools.
So private schools are getting by with just over 2/3 of what the “underfunded” public schools are spending. Maybe the real problem is that public schools aren’t spending their money wisely.
Humm… aren’t facts a pesky thing?
Mr. Gangware continues, noting that school choice can actually SAVE money:
The data prove the superiority of school choice. With vouchers, the government can completely fund poor students in failing districts to attend successful public or private alternatives, and could save on average up to 30 percent of their currently reported education costs, and probably a lot more since those costs are undoubtedly being routinely underestimated, as Coulson notes.
These millions of saved dollars could be used to increase the overall per-pupil funding in the remaining public schools — which is exactly what the anti-voucher advocates are calling for.
Now who would oppose that?
September “School Reform News” Now Available
The September issue of “School Reform News,” a publication of the Heartland Institute, is now available online.
We encourage you to check it out, and will be sharing more news from this issue in the next few days as well.
