\doc\web\index\voucher.htm
Vouchers

Use public money towards private schools. Some states and interpretations of law prohibit use for religious or private schools. CURE (WA) says that vouchers create government control of religious schools. Other far conservatives say it only takes away from the issue of getting control back of the public schools. Critics say religious voucher schools in Milwaukee don't score any higher than public schools, and just pollutes the private schools with the same problem kids that were in the public schools, so not even the private schools are a refuge.
Establishment liberals don't want to weaken the public schools. But some black activists don't trust the public schools and want a choice. Some studies show that students, especially blacks score better in private schools, on the other hand the differences are often small or impossible to document.
Facts: Ron Unz: Today, public and private school-voucher programs combined include just 70,000 students, only one-tenth of one percent of our school-age population, and a minute fraction of (say) the estimated two million children in home-schooling programs,
The other alternatives are total privatization (Libertarian) where the state doesn't pay for anybody's education, or tax credits for property or income tax, or making the public schools work as well as they do in the affluent suburbs.

For - Republicans, Christians, poor blacks.

Against - Black leadership, Teacher Unions, Democrats, extreme 
Christians (government control)

	
@@Against (Conservative)

z47\clip\2001\01\vouchno.txt
For Vouchers, left and right
http://www.city-journal.org/html/10_4_soundings.html#05
Howard Husock, 
Director of Case Studies at the Harvard Kennedy 
School and City Journal Contributing Editor.  This 
article presented the devastating empirical case 
AGAINST vouchers, albeit housing vouchers.  
http://www.city-journal.org/html/10_4_lets_end_housing.html

z46\clip\2000\10\voupriv.txt Voucher program could have serious
competitive effect on private schools
http://www.tribnet.com/opinion/1029b53.html Voucher program could
have serious competitive effect on private schools (The News Tribune
- Sunday) Ahrum Hong 


 vouchers threaten independence
of religious schools

VOUCHERS WILL TURN ALL SCHOOLS INTO GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
z45\clip\2000\10\vouchst.txt The Napa Sentinel, October 27, 2000
VOUCHER STRANGLEHOLD By Karen Anderson Three major homeschool
organizations--Christian Home Educators Association (CHEA) of
California, Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Private
and Home Educators of California--all oppose Proposition 38.

VOUCHERS HIT CATHOLIC, PRIVATE SCHOOLS HARD WITH PROBLEMS
z45\clip\2000\10\vouchpro.txt Monday, October 9, 2000 LA Times School
Voucher Program Teaches Hard Lessons By JILL LEOVY, LA Times Staff
Writer. A Catholic school principal, didn't know that two-thirds of
her teaching staff would quit the first year her school accepted
voucher students.

This site provides some evidence of problems private schools have
encountered when they've accepted government vouchers in Milwaukee,
Cleveland, and Florida. Christian Law Association advocates tax
credits, which I view as a problem: tax credits will end up causing
loss of autonomy for private schools, but they'll do it more slowly
than vouchers.  http://www.christianlaw.org/vouchers.html#What Are
the Pitfalls of Vouchers for Christian Schools?

For those who haven't read either of my position papers on the voucher,
they're posted at my website: www.grovepublishing.com
Cathy Duffy

VOUCHERS BRING POOR KIDS INTO RICH SCHOOLS, NOT REAL CHOICE
z45\clip\2000\08\novouch.txt
http://www.lewrockwell.com/levin/levin2.html The Crazy Theory Behind
School Vouchers by Michael Levin

Prop 38 vouchers threaten home and private schools
z45\priv\2000\08\novouch.txt, voucher.doc Problems with the
California Voucher Initiative, Proposition 38 Summary by Cathy Duffy
because of more regulation, and increases price because of state
subsidy]

CONSERVATIVES NEED TO FIX PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NOT PUSH VOUCHERS
\clip\2000\03\consed.txt Mon, 20 Mar 2000 05:58:10 -0600 NATIONAL
STANDARD: "Measurable gains in a cademic achievement must come from
improvements in the public schools and in the family milieus of the
children who attend them. The idea that federal and state governments
can finance some massive alternative to the nation's public schools
is unrealistic and carries high political risk. " 


@@Against, Liberal

%%Conservative

RON UNZ AGAINST VOUCHERS
http://www.onenation.org/article.cfm?ID=7617

%%Liberal

Public school students in Cleveland started out well behind the
voucher kids.  By the end of third grade, though, they had almost
closed the gap in reading and language arts and had overtaken the
voucher students in math.  So even the so-called short term benefits
of vouchers don't show up.
This result and a debunking of Paul Peterson's study of vouchers in NY
will appear in "The Thirteenth Bracey Report on the Condition of
Public Education," in the October issue of Phi Delta Kappan.
Gerald Bracey Aug 2003 wa-ed-deform


2000 VOUCHERS INITIATIVES ALL FAILED
z46\clip\2000\11\pfaw.txt For Immediate Release from PFAW People for
the American Way November 14, 2000 Public Schools Win at Polls
California, Michigan Voters Turn Down Vouchers, School Funding
Initiatives Win in California, Colorado & Arizona

Florida judge rejects school-voucher system SeaTimes Mar 15, 2000
worth $3-4,000 if student goes to a low rated school, constitution
mandates free education through a system of "public schools"

1996 WA state initiative headed by Ron Taber failed.
\clip\99\21\voucprob.txt Rethinking Schools An Urban Education
Journal Volume 14, No.1 Fall 1999 Problems Erupt in Cleveland
Concerns over safety hazatds, unlicensed teachers, and reliance on
videos for instruction.  by Eric Gunn

School voucher program struck down at last minute seattle Times Aug
25, 1999 p. a5 . US District judge issued an injunction stopping
funds until a trial determines whether it violates consitutional
separation. 4,003 signed up. Says appears to have the primary effect
of advancing religion since most schools are religious. [but most 
kids aren't even members of the religion]


@@Effective

MANHATTAN INSTITUTE SAYS VOUCHERS PROD SUCCESS
z48\clip\2001\02\vouceff.txt FEBRUARY 16, 2001 USA In Florida,
lessons on vouchers New study finds that the worst schools are
turning around under a 'school choice' reform.  By Amelia Newcomb,
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor; and Robin Rowan 

NO BIG DIFFERENCE SAYS WITTE
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=392987
Comparing notes Oct 12th 2000 | WASHINGTON, DC From The Economist
print edition The latest academic report by John Witte, a political
scientist at the University of Wisconsin, was fairly inconclusive
about the pupils’ academic achievements. He certainly did not find
any great gains by the voucher-students—75% of whom are black. But
the supporters of vouchers argue that it is hard to judge a new
educational system on the results of just 500 students a year in
Milwaukee. 

Wed, 25 Aug 1999 "Chris and Lisa Leppin" 
http://heritage.org/schools/wisconsin.html The evidence for choice
and competition is higher achievement scores and parental
satisfaction.  Isn't that the goal?  For further evidence in another
state: http://www.azscholarships.org Maybe you also didn't know that
students in private schools are twice as likely to go on to college,
a black or hispanic child is 37% more likely to complete college than
an Anglo in a public school, or that private schools have a 97%
graduation rate?

VOUCHER SCHOOLS IN MILWAUKEE PRODUCE GREAT RESULTS
\clip\99\05\vouchbil.txt http://www.city-journal.org/html/9_1_a1.htm
City Journal Winter 1998 The Schools That Vouchers Built by Sol Stern

From the Washington Times A4 Wed., October 28, 1998
Inner-city mother delighted her sons got school vouchers
By Kim Asch, The Washington Times
\clip\98\16\voucher.txt
The study, released yesterday by Harvard University’s Pro-gram on
Education Policy and Governance and Mathematical Policy Research,
found that the 1,300 scholarship students in grades three through
five scored higher on Iowa Basic Skills math and reading tests than a
control group comprised of scholarship applicants who stayed in
public school after they lost out in the lottery. 


@@For

NBC DATELINE ON VOUCHERS, SPENDING
http://www.msnbc.com/news/477730.asp#BODY
z46\clipim\2000\11\02\milwa\milwa1.htm Your kids, our schools, tough
choices Parents in Milwaukee speak out about the state of their
public schools.  NBC News MILWAUKEE, Oct. 27 — In Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, they have a real fight on their hands. Vouchers vs good
Rufus King urban vs. really Niclolet Glendale Wisc dream/surburban
They can afford to spend about $14,000 per student at Nicolet — while
in the Milwaukee system schools get about $8,000 per student.
Nicolet’s average teacher’s salary is more than $54,000 94% go on to
college [Overall, the piece is taking the "Savage Inequalities"
stance that schools will be equal only when every school spends 
as much as Niclolet]

z46\clip\2000\11\hollvouc.txt OPINION Watch Out, Educrats, Here Come
Vouchers!  Public school officials shape up or ship out under voucher
programs.  Robert Holland richmond.com Monday October 30, 2000 A
Hunter College poll showed that in New York City, 83 percent of black
residents and 87 percent of Hispanics favor school vouchers.
...Florida has a voucher-based reform plan called A-Plus that
for my money is more consumer-friendly and effective than Virginia's
accreditation-based SOL routine.

NO DIFFERENCE IN NYC?
z45\clip\2000\09\vouchdou.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/15/national/15VOUC.html New Doubt Is
Cast on Study That Backs Voucher Efforts By KATE ZERNIKE Two weeks
ago, prominent researchers released a study showing significant gains
by black students who had been given vouchers to help pay for private
school. ..the company says, in New York there was no significant
test- score difference between students who attended private school
on vouchers and those who stayed in public school.

   
SIMILAR STUDENTS WITH VOUCHERS SCORED 6 PCT HIGHER
z45\clip\2000\08\vouchdc.txt WPost front Page, August 28, 2000 URL:
Scores Improve For D.C. Pupils With Vouchers By Jay Mathews,
Washington Post Staff Writer The report, which compares the students'
reading and math scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills over the
first two years of the voucher programs, is unusual.  The study
showed that those moving to private schools scored 6 percentile
points higher than those who stayed in public schools in New York
City, Dayton, Ohio, and the District. Bracey opposes vouchers. Only 
blacks showed big differences. Most students in study were black.

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_11.htm Dr. Jay Greene's
survey analyzes every study examining any aspect of America's
publicly and privately funded voucher programs.  Greene finds a
surprisingly uniform consensus: voucher programs raise student test
scores and are beloved by parents, and private schools accepting
voucher students, promote school integration and the teaching of
civic values better than traditional public schools.  

z43\clip\2000\07\highvouc.txt “High Noon for Vouchers” In November, a
turning point for U.S. education.  Ron Unz, National Review, Tuesday,
June 20, 2000 Today, public and private school-voucher programs
combined include just 70,000 students, only one-tenth of one percent
of our school-age population,

z40\clip\2000\04\vouch.htm
http://www.policyreview.com/jan99/peterson.html
A voucher group was compared against public school group: overall,
average test scores were below the 30th percentile.  After one year,
the national percentile ranking of students attending private schools
was, on average, two points higher in reading and mathematics than
the ranking of the comparison group that remained in public schools.
choice students in grades four and five achieved substantially higher
scores, six percentile points more in math, and four points more in
reading.  * The probability of graduating from college rises from 11
to 27 percent, if such a student attends a Catholic high school.

http://www.educationnews.org/a_survey_of_results_from_voucher.htm
zip40\clip\2000\03\vouch.htm
Manhattan Institute 
A Survey of Results from Voucher Experiments: 
Where We Are and What We Know
By Jay P. Greene
Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
March 13, 2000

Prepared for the Conference on Charter Schools, Vouchers, and Public
Education, Sponsored by the Harvard Program on Education Policy and
Governance and the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, March
8-10, 2000, Cambridge, MA In Cleveland, as in Milwaukee, all studies
of the choice program are generally positive about the effects of the
program. Metcalf finds some significant test score gains and praises
the expansion of educational opportunities the program provides.
Greene, Peterson, and Howell also find significant test score gains.
After one year of participation in the program, choice students in
grades 2 through 5 in New York benefited by about 2 NPR in math and
reading. Older students, in grades 4 and 5, gained four points in
reading and six points in math.  

A Response By Dennis W. Redovich, Center for the Study of Jobs &
Education in Wisconsin I am astonished by the ineptitude of the
report, A Survey of Results from Voucher Experiments, which I read on
EducationNews.org. I have been reviewing the numerous studies of the
Milwaukee Choice program since its inception in Milwaukee. The
original evaluator John Witte did the only credible reports on the
Milwaukee Choice program. Dr. Witte found no significant difference
between academic achievement of MPS schools and Choice schools, high
satisfaction with choice schools and high satisfaction of parents
with children in MPS schools at a somewhat lower level

EducationNews February 28, 2000 Washington Post Vouchers Receive
Positive Reviews African American elementary school students in the
District who transferred to private schools with the help of vouchers
were happier with their schools and did better in mathematics than
classmates who remained in public schools, a new study has found. 

%%income

CLEVELAND VOUCHERS FOR $7K FAMILIES CONSTITUTIONAL
\doc\web\99\07\vouch.txt For another take on the Ohio court decision
on the Cleveland voucher program, visit the Institute for Justice web
site.  They litigated the case.  http://www.ij.org/media/index.html
Ohio Supreme Court Says School Choice Is Constitutional, But
Invalidates Program On Technical Grounds

The program allows approximately 3,000 low-income children to receive
$2250 scholarships for 90 percent of tuition in private and religious
schools. The median income of families participating in the program is
less than $7,000.


%%Ineffective


NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN SCORES AFTER 1 YEAR
"Vouchers not helping students yet, study finds" Seattle Times April
8, 1998 Rene Sanchez Washington Post. Study of 2 year old program in
Cleveland that gives 3,000 needy students scholarships worth up to
$2,500 for private schools. Report commisioned by state of Ohio finds
that there are "no significant differences" in achievment in read,
math or science between voucher students and comparable students in
public schools. $1.4 million went to taxi service. Researchers at
Indiana University compared 94 voucher students with 494 comparable
public school students, tested before and after 1st year in voucher
program. Scores were same in every subject.


%%Opinion

z45\clip\2000\09\blvouch.txt Sunday, September 3, 2000 Blacks Split
Over Vouchers Schools: Though most leaders oppose the ballot measure,
many frustrated parents want more options for their children.  By
EDWARD J. BOYER, LA Times Staff Writer The results of a 1999 national
survey, however, show A whopping 76% of African Americans between 26
and 35--a group including many who have school-age children--support
a voucher system under which the government would give parents money
to send their children to the public, private or parochial school of
their choice, the survey by the Washington, D.C.-based Joint Center
for Political and Economic Studies found.

%%religious

Many oppose public funding of religious schools, but federal 
college grants are not restricted to non religious colleges

LAW HAS NOT ESTABLISHED VOUCHERS FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS ILLEGAL
zip36\clip\99\17\relvouch.txt EDITORIALS Of Tolerance And School
Vouchers IBD 8/30/99 Here comes another foe of school choice - this
one a federal judge - declaring that vouchers violate the First
Amendment.  In fact, the question of whether vouchers violate the
separation of church and state has never been settled in federal law,
and only a few state high courts have tackled it.

zip36\clip\99\16\vouchhi.txt
First School Voucher Program Begins 
Associated Press Aug. 17, 1999 at 6:20:19 a.m.  PENSACOLA, Fla. -
Parents and nuns beamed as the nation's first statewide school
voucher program took effect, but opponents derided its debut as a
violation of the principle of separation of church and state. 

Florida Vouchers Target of Lawsuit Associated Press July 30, 1999
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A teachers union has sued Gov. Jeb Bush, seeking
to overturn the only statewide voucher program that allows parents to
send their children to private or parochial schools at taxpayer
expense. 

Cleveland choice students enter religious schools By Curtis Lawrence
of the Journal Sentinel staff September 4, 1996 While supporters of
state vouchers to finance religious education in Milwaukee wait for
the courts to rule on the program's constitutionality, about 1,700
low-income Cleveland students for the first time are attending
private non-sectarian and religious schools at state expense. 

http://www.heartland.org/education/dec98/works.htm School reform
news: "Just as a graduate student is permitted to use his Pell Grant
at Notre Dame or Yeshiva University or a toddler's parents can send
him to the local Presbyterian pre-school, a qualifying Milwaukee
family can use their voucher to send their child to a parochial
school if that's their choice.