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!
Kris Amundson to work on education reform
We’d like to offer our best wishes to retiring Virginia Delegate Kris Amundson as she joins the team of education reformers!
Delegate Amundson announced on her blog that she’s taking a new job:
…one week from today, I am starting a new job at Education Sector, an education think tank in Washington, DC. I’ll be their communications manager, helping them get the word out about their thoughtful reports and analysis. Their motto, “Independent Analysis, Innovative Ideas,” tells you a lot about why I was attracted to the organization.
Education Sector is a self-described:
…independent think tank that challenges conventional thinking in education policy. We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to achieving measurable impact in education policy, both by improving existing reform initiatives and by developing new, innovative solutions to our nation’s most pressing education problems.
According to their website, their research and work include the areas of Educational Choice, K-12 Accountability, Teacher Quality and Undergraduate Education.
And while they do seem primarily focused on public school choice (which, while a good start, is only one part of the equation), they do recognize that a thriving system of choices- including charter schools- is an essential component of meaningful education reform.
Education Sector envisions a public education system where a wide range of education providers serve students’ diverse needs by supplying many educational options, a system where choices are as commonplace as they are in most other facets of American life and, importantly, a system that stresses high-quality education, equity, and public accountability.
So we congratulate Delegate Amundson on her new venture and offer our best wishes as she joins the education reform movement! We know that she has long been a supporter of vouchers for higher education (or TAG grants as they are called in Virginia), and we look forward to further discussions about educational choice can improve education for all students (not just those in college) here in Virginia.
Funding schools or funding education?
Yesterday we shared with you the article, “A parent’s right to choose,” from The New Dominion Magazine. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at the various arguments made by opponents of parental choice in education - namely the VEA.
The article states, “The VEA opposes public-school-choice initiatives, Boitnott said, instead preferring to see resources are put into individual schools “so that they can be successful, and kids can achieve.”"
We’ll agree with Ms. Boitnott (head of the teacher’s union), in part. We also want schools to be successful and kids to achieve. That’s the easy part. Who doesn’t want that? But to use this as an argument against school choice? That just doesn’t make sense.
Ms. Boitnott argues that “resources” should be put into schools - and by resources we are guessing she primarily means money (based on her other comments). Here is where we start to disagree with her position. Should our focus be on funding “schools,” or on funding “education?”
Now some will argue that they are one and the same or that we’re just splitting hairs. But there is a difference. As taxpayers, what are we investing in with our hard-earned money? Do we want to be simply investing in a bricks and mortar school, or would we rather be investing in a child’s education? I think most people would believe that education is the goal. We want well-educated students who can grow up to be successful, productive members of society. We want a highly trained and qualified workforce to run our businesses and build our economy.
Yet somewhere along the way we seemed to lose sight of that, instead allowing politicians, bureaucrats and unions to convince us that the debate should be about schools, not education. You’ve heard the arguments. Ms. Boitnott does not disappoint here again arguing “But until and unless the Commonwealth of Virginia is able to fully fund public schools in the way that they are required to do by the Virginia Constitution, there is no wiggle room for allowing taxpayer dollars to go toward funding or supplementing funding for private-school educators, because their first and primary responsibility is to the children in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s public schools...”
Again, for her it’s all about the public schools, not about education. (This isn’t really surprising because her primary concern is to protect her union members.) But shouldn’t our “first and primary responsibility” be to ensure every child has access to a high quality education that meets their needs?
Opponents of school choice are fond of using the Virginia Constitution to try and prove their point, yet the Constitution has this to say:
The General Assembly shall provide for the compulsory elementary and secondary education of every eligible child of appropriate age…
While it also establishes a public school system, it is clear to point out that the state has an obligation to provide an education for all students- not simply a public school.
But back to Ms. Boitnott’s first argument about investing in schools to make them successful and help students achieve. Perhaps she should take a look at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s research on the relationship between money and academic results. For the 15th straight year:
The Report Card on American Education clearly shows there is no correlation between educational dollars spent and student achievement in our traditional public school system.
While states continue to invest more and more dollars into existing public schools, they are receiving no added return on their investment. So the VEA’s argument seems to be rather flawed from the start.
So next time a politician or a bureaucrat starts telling you that they are “for education,” ask them what they really mean. Are they really for education- for ensuring every Virginia child has access to a quality education to give them the best opportunity for success- or are they really simply for the existing public school system and preserving the status quo?
