We've compiled some of the most prevalent myths on school choice and what the facts really say about educational options:
10. School
choice programs drain money from public schools
School choice
programs help public schools and save money for taxpayers. The cost of a scholarship is often less than
the cost to send a student to public school.
For example, in Washington, D.C., the cost to educate a student in the
D.C. Public Schools in 2009 was $16,408.
The maximum scholarship amount
under the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is $12,000. So not only does it cost less to provide
scholarships to students, but these students have higher levels of educational
attainment. And that’s not all, many
public school systems receive a portion of the funding for each child
participating in a school choice program—even though that child does not attend
public school.
As for helping public schools, six
studies in Florida, five studies in Milwaukee, and one study in Arizona show
positive competitive effects of voucher programs on achievement for students in
traditional public schools.
9. School
choice looks to privatize education
School choice is
about providing educational options to families and ensuring that all children
receive an education that will transform their lives regardless of the system
that provides that education. School
choice fundamentally is about choice; and that choice can include public
schools, private schools, magnet schools, public charter schools, virtual
schools, and homeschooling. Education
reformer and school choice supporter Michelle Rhee has said it best: “My job is to make sure that every single
child […] gets a great education. I am
agnostic as to the delivery mechanism.”
8. School
choice takes the “best” kids out of public schools
Students who are
doing poorly in public schools are most likely to take advantage of school
choice programs. Generally, students who
succeed in a public school see no need to switch schools. School choice programs do not provide
academic scholarships, but rather scholarships based on family incomes or
special needs—student populations that studies show are often academically
behind their peers.
7. School choice programs discriminate against
children with special needs and children from low-income families
On the contrary, 10
private school choice programs are specifically designed for children with
special needs. Whether a voucher
program, a scholarship tax credit program, or an education savings accounts,
these programs are specifically tailored to meet the needs of students’
needs. Moreover, 24 of the 27 school
choice programs serve children with special needs or students from low-income
families. In addition, these programs
have to meet nondiscrimination policies.
6. School
choice is a republican, right-wing issue
Both Democrats and Republicans support school choice
because school choice is about educating children, not political agendas. In fact, many prominent Democrats support
school choice including Senator Joe Lieberman, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, former
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Congressman Daniel
Lipinski, Pennsylvania State Senator Anthony Williams, Georgia State
Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan, Wisconsin State Representative Jason
Fields, Former Chancellor of D.C. Schools Michelle Rhee, and many many more!
5. School choice is unconstitutional
The U.S. Supreme
Court and many state supreme courts have ruled that private school choice
programs—including vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs—are
constitutional. In fact, the Supreme
Court upheld that scholarship tax credit programs are constitutional, when the
high court ruled in favor of Arizona’s Individual School Tuition Organization
Tax Credit Program in April 2011. Additionally,
the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Arizona’s Corporate School Tuition
Organization Tax Credit Program, and Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program have
all been affirmed by the courts.
4. Parents
don’t know what’s best
Many have taken a
shocking approach in their opposition to education reform initiatives: blaming
parents. From blaming parents to saying
that parents don’t know what’s best for their children, this has become the new
norm. But school choice bucks this trend
because we’re all about EMPOWERING parents.
Systems don’t know children; but parents do. School choice is about putting the power in
parents’ hands and letting the education dollars fund their decision—not a
system. And parent surveys from Wisconsin,
to Louisiana, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. show high levels of parental
satisfaction with school choice programs.
3. School
choice is unfair and not the answer
…only if you’re set
on protecting the status quo. School
choice is the answer when you’re talking about educational options. And these programs should always be paired
with additional options that include public school choice and public charter
schools. No child should have to attend
a failing school and our children don’t have the five or 10 years to wait for
their school to get better. School
choice programs help the very students that don’t have alternative
options. What’s unfair is keeping
students from low-income families in failing schools.
2. There
is no accountability in school choice programs
On the contrary, all
school choice programs have accountability standards that include
administrative, financial, and academic accountability. For example, all programs must meet
nondiscrimination checks. In addition,
many programs require standardized assessments, public reporting of results,
background checks, and proof of financial viability.
1. Research shows vouchers and scholarship tax
credit programs don’t work
Nine
out of 10 “gold standard” studies on private school choice programs concluded
that some or all participating students benefited academically with positive
and significant achievement impacts from using a voucher to attend a private
school. The “gold standard” studies were conducted in six cities by seven
independent research teams. And across the board, students using vouchers
receive the equivalent to an extra month of learning per year.
And students who
used opportunity scholarships as a result of the Washington, D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship Program graduated at a rate of 91 percent, 21 percentage points
higher than those interested in the program who did not receive a scholarship,
according to a study by the U.S. Department of Education.
- American Federation for children | Alliance for School Choice, MSG
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