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Common Myths About School Choice
Different Forms of School Choice
- Charter Schools
- Tax Credits
- Vouchers
Choice
as a concept seems simple enough: As a parent, you know
the most and care the most about your child, and education
is an indisputable part of a child’s rearing.
A parent ought to have the ability to make the best
decision for their child’s future.
We are blessed with a strong public
school system in the United States and in most cases
our children receive a splendid education, but we all
know that right now many children in our country are
trapped in failing schools. They cannot wait for another
study, another task force or more excuses. Nor are huge
taxes increases and higher appropriations the Answer,
as many of the nation’s worst school districts
are also the best funded. These children need help now.
Their future depends on it.
Unfortunately, many groups—threatened
by accountability and the power of parents to choose
the best education for their children—villainize
school choice by spreading Myths about its effect. These
unions and bureaucrats will stop at nothing to protect
the power and authority they derive from the status
quo of American education.
All Children Matter endeavors to help
these children by aiding the election of legislative
leaders in states across America who are committed to
supporting education reform and school choice.
School choice sometimes means different
solutions in different states, and All Children Matter
does not advocate one means of choice over another,
only to work with local leadership to elect legislative
leaders who support the principles of school choice
most appropriate for their respective state.
Myth: School choice drains money from
public schools, leaving them under-funded.
Answer: Quite the opposite is the
case. In most cases, when a student leaves a public
school due to a choice program that student’s
per-pupil funding remains intact or is only partially
removed from the public school. Through school choice,
public schools are aided by reduced overcrowding and
a reduction in fiscal burdens.
Myth: School choice means abandoning
public schools.
Answer: Public schools are a treasured
part of American society and, in many cases, offer a
quality education for our children. School choice does
not always mean that people have to choose private or
religious schools. Public schools, including charter
schools, are an important part of the school choice
movement. Sometimes, choosing a different public school
is the best option for a child.
The school choice movement seeks better
schools, whether traditional public, charter public,
private or religious. The problem is that many schools
are failing. Some families have the financial freedom
to move to a better public school district or attend
a private school, but many more families do not. School
choice is the just Answer to this problem.
Myth: School choice, especially tax
credits and vouchers, is just another way to benefit
the wealthy and help them subsidize their children’s
education.
Answer: The wealthy
already have school choice. Financial considerations
are much less of an issue for them than finding the
best school. The only families without school choice
are the financially burdened, especially those who cannot
afford to move to a better school district. The school
choice movement desires to give these families the same
freedom that the wealthy already have.
Many wealthy Americans, in lieu of
government school choice programs, sponsor private scholarship
programs to benefit disadvantaged children, but an individual—no
matter how wealthy—can only provide so many scholarships.
Meaningful public policy changes are required in order
to help low-income and middle-class parents on a broader
scale.
Myth: School choice
hurts teachers.
Answer: No matter where students are
being educated, there will always be a need for teachers.
And more choices in schools also mean more choices for
teachers. In fact, school choice could likely lead to
more teaching jobs as schools hire more teachers to
lower class sizes to make their schools more attractive
to students and parents. Those most threatened by school
choice are administrators who will be held more accountable
for their results as well as union bosses who do not
want to lose dues received from unionized teachers in
public schools.
Myth: School choice merely allows
the best students to abandon the public schools, causing
a decline in academic excellence.
Answer: It is those students who are
doing poorly whose parents are most likely to take advantage
of school choice programs. Generally, students doing
well are happy and see no need to change schools. Studies
also show that public schools forced to compete by school
choice show significant improvement. When it comes to
better education for our children, everyone is a winner
with school choice.
Myth: School choice is unconstitutional
because students often use choice programs to attend
religious schools.
Answer: Wisconsin’s Supreme
Court ruled that Milwaukee’s voucher program was
constitutional because parents and not the government
were deciding where to use the vouchers. The U.S. Supreme
Court voted 8-1 not to review that case, letting the
decision stand. In practice and theory, school choice—especially
vouchers—is no different from Pell Grants or the
G.I. Bill, which is frequently referred to as one of
the most important programs in the history of American
higher education.
Myth: School choice leads to racial segregation.
Answer: Unfortunately, racial segregation
is already widespread in America’s public schools.
However, an August 2002 report from the American Education
Reform Council reveals that in Milwaukee, where there
is a strong voucher program, the “choice”
schools are more racially diverse than the traditional
public schools.
Myth: School choice is a right-wing
issue.
Answer: Nothing could be farther from
the truth. Perhaps there is no other issue that transcends
party, racial and geographic lines the way school choice
does. In Washington, DC, Mayor Anthony Williams (D)
and president of the city’s board of education,
Peggy Cafritz, both African-Americans, support school
choice. In addition, the former mayor of Milwaukee,
John Norquist (D) was outspoken for his support of school
choice. Congressional Democrat supporters include Sen.
Joe Lieberman, Sen. Diane Feinstein, Rep. Harold Ford,
Jr., Rep. Gene Taylor and Rep. William Lipinski.
Those are just a few examples, but
even more telling is the support among those for whom
school choice offers the most hope. A May 13, 2003 article
in Investor’s Business Daily cites polling that
places support for school choice in the African-American
community at 57 percent, compared to 49 percent in the
general population. Even more striking is that 75 percent
of African-American voters under the age of 35 support
choice and 74% of African-American households with children
support choice.
A more appropriate line between choice
supporters and opponents should avoid traditional political
stereotypes. Instead, opponents tend to be who have
a vested interest in the status quo of the education
establishment. Supporters tend to be community activists
who are motivated by the desire to offer equal access
to a quality education for all children, regardless
of race or income.
What is a charter school?
Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The length of time for which charters are granted varies, but most are granted for 3-5 years. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school's contract. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor—usually a state or local school board, or a university or other institution of higher learning—to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this accountability. They are accountable for both academic results and fiscal practices to several groups: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them, and the public that funds them (www.uscharterschools.org).
What states have charter schools?
There are more than 4,500 charter schools serving more than 1.3 million students in forty states, the District of Columbia
and Puerto Rico (AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL,
GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO,
MS, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI,
SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WY)
Is there proof that charter schools
help students perform better?
Charter schools are difficult to study
and compare to public schools because many are targeted
to assist specific groups, such as at-risk students
or disabled students. However, the Manhattan Institute
released a study in July 2003 that compared charter
schools to public schools serving similar student populations.
The study revealed that charter school
students performed better on reading and math schools
than those at public schools. The difference is equivalent
to an average of three percentile points higher in math
and two percentile points higher in reading on a standardized
for a student in the 50th percentile. Charter schools
in Texas and Florida were the strongest, with Texas
charter students improving by seven percentile points
in math and eight percentile points in reading. Florida
charter students improved by six percentile points in
each category.
The report: www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_01.htm#01.
What are examples of school choice
tax credits?
Tax credits are most commonly associated
with tuition tax credits where parents may receive a
tax credit or deduction for all or some of the education
expenses for their children. Corporations or individuals
can also receive tax credits or deductions for donating
money to private scholarship organizations that give
scholarships to disadvantaged children.
Which states offer tax credits for
education and donations?
Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa,
Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
What is a voucher?
A voucher is a predetermined amount
of money, usually less than the per-pupil funding level
of students in that state, that a student may use to
pay for entrance to another public school or to a private
or religious school. The money is given to the parent
or guardian of a child, not directly to the school,
so they can decide which school is best for the child.
Where are there voucher programs in
the United States?
Florida, Georgia, Maine, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Ohio, Utah and Vermont.
Are voucher programs effective at
improving schools?
Offering a better education to a disadvantaged
student stuck in a failing school seems to be reward
enough, but the most encouraging effect of voucher programs
is that all children in affected areas seem to benefit.
Two separate studies, one of Florida
voucher programs and the other investigating Milwaukee’s
voucher program, revealed that public schools held accountable
by school choice react favorably by improving test scores
and graduation rates.
An August 2003 study by the Manhattan
Institute revealed that public schools in Florida where
students already had access to vouchers because of the
school’s longtime low-performing history showed
marked improvements of up to 10 scale score points on
the state’s standardized test, the FCAT. Public
schools that due to their low scores were most challenged
with the prospect of vouchers showed improvements of
up to 8 points on the FCAT. However, schools receiving
the grade of D (a school must have three consecutive
years graded F before its students may receive vouchers)
and therefore not challenged by the prospect of vouchers
even though they were low-performing showed little to
no improvement on the FCAT tests.
The report: www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_02.htm#01
In Milwaukee, a report released by
the American Education Reform Council in October 2003
reveals similar result. From 1997 until 2003—during
the time of the most rapid expansion of school choice
in Milwaukee, including vouchers—Milwaukee Public
School students improved on 12 of 15 education tests
when compared to a national sample, and MPS students
improved on 13 of 15 education tests when compared to
a statewide sample. Between 1991 and 2002, the dropout
rate decreased from 16.2% to 9.0%.
The report: www.schoolchoiceinfo.org/data/research/ACF6pnkza.pdf
And finally, vouchers not only
offer better education options to parents and students,
they also make schools more accountable to taxpayers. |
