Legitimate Criticism of School Vouchers and Choice

[RCIAGraduate]

Everything has an opportunity cost so perhaps critics have a point in critiquing School Choice policies when obvious improvements can be made in the Public School System like improving Special Education and the provision of Gifted and Talented Programs.

I mean, I get School Choice and it’s a great idea especially if you make flexible high-value vouther that can make preparatory-level schooling possible for poor children. But when an organization like the Council for Exceptional Children (advocacy group for disabled and gifted children) opposes School Vouchers, perhaps they may have a point.

Happy Summer.

 

[phil19034]

Everything has an opportunity cost so perhaps critics have a point in critiquing School Choice policies when obvious improvements can be made in the Public School System like improving Special Education and the provision of Gifted and Talented Programs.

I mean, I get School Choice and it’s a great idea especially if you make flexible high-value vouther that can make preparatory-level schooling possible for poor children. But when an organization like the Council for Exceptional Children (advocacy group for disabled and gifted children) opposes School Vouchers, perhaps they may have a point.

Happy Summer.

You have to look at the root reason why they are against it. When I was in elementary school and middle school, they used to teach in homogeneous groups. i.e. different reading groups and math classes based on ability. This started in 2nd grade. By 6th grade, every class except homeroom was broken out by ability.

Today, they rarely do this. Heterogeneous classrooms are not the norm. The idea is that the smarter kids will bring up the kids who are behind.

However, I believe all this does this does is bring down the smarter kids. Anyway, it’s an attempt to make everyone equal.

Furthermore, many (not all) of the Council for Exceptional Children are advocates for Public Education. School Vouchers have the potential to hurt the public schools in the short run, because arguably, money is being diverted from the public school to the private school.

Where as school choice is typically shifting money from one school district to another.

Education professionals (depending on the college) are often brainwashed into believing the the Public School system is a much better choice for academics, esp against the parochial Catholic & other Christians schools because the argument is that the public schools get better funding and better pay. My wife was a teacher and she is still biased against private schools because she believes the best teachers teach in the suburban public schools that pay the most money.

God Bless

 

[Theo520]

Everything has an opportunity cost so perhaps critics have a point in critiquing School Choice policies when obvious improvements can be made in the Public School System like improving Special Education and the provision of Gifted and Talented Programs.

I mean, I get School Choice and it’s a great idea especially if you make flexible high-value vouther that can make preparatory-level schooling possible for poor children. But when an organization like the Council for Exceptional Children (advocacy group for disabled and gifted children) opposes School Vouchers, perhaps they may have a point.

Happy Summer.

From what I read they don’t say vouchers don’t work for most kids, they are saying the sub-segment of high need (cost) kids they represent will not be able to take advantage of the benefit. Sorta like, if their kids can’t use it then none should?

They don’t have an alternative solution that does provide market feedback to the system.

 

[Corki]

I worked for a public school for a while. The time, effort and money that goes into the GT and SE programs dominates the administration of the school. “Regular kids” do not get much attention at all. These are the kids that really benefit from a good voucher and choice plan.

Of course the Council for Exceptional Children doesn’t support that. They do not advocate for the “regular” student. It’s not their mission.