Money is not the Answer
Money is not the answer. No matter how much we pour into a school system, it ultimately does not get better. It can’t. Take for instance the District of Columbia – its spending per-pupil is among the highest in the nation, while its test scores are some of the worst. According to every credible study, there is no correlation between money and improved performance. But, there is a connection between school vouchers and better pupil test scores. For those new to the idea of vouchers, the plan is simple. Parents are given the opportunity to use government funds to help pay the cost of sending their child to a public, private or parochial school of their choice. With vouchers students are in an environment that benefits their learning and ultimately leads to better test scores. And the best part … there’s proof. A Harvard study released in 2002 and reaffirmed in 2003, found that children who received privately funded vouchers scored, on average, 6.1, 4.2 and 8.4 National Percentile Rank points higher than their peers in public schools on the combined reading and math portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Dayton, Ohio had similar results, finding that after two years in the program students achieved a 6.5 percentile point gain on standardized tests. Other objective studies of voucher programs in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Florida and Charlotte have also shown statistically significant gains in test scores by students who receive vouchers. But the improvements are not just restricted to students receiving vouchers. Many other independent studies have shown a groundswell of improvements in public schools partly attributed to the need to compete for students and dollars. In Maine and Vermont’s voucher programs, a study by Houston Baptist professor Christopher Hammons found that in areas where competition for student dollars is the fiercest test scores were the highest. A study by retired Washington Times reporter Carol Innerst found that in response to the threat of vouchers, Florida’s low-performing public schools extended the school year, hired more reading specialists, implemented one-on-one tutoring programs and developed reading programs that focused on phonics. Noted Harvard researcher Caroline Hoxby has shown that in Milwaukee, “public elementary schools where many students could receive vouchers, performance improved faster than at public schools where relatively few students could get vouchers.” In fact, public schools most exposed to competition increased math scores 7.1 percentile points between 1999 and 2002. The evidence is mounting that school vouchers do indeed force public schools to get better. And this is why we are seeing opponents of vouchers redoubling their efforts to stop any kind of parental choice and freedom in education. Consider some items we know about vouchers: School choice works for students – children who use vouchers do better on standardized tests and are more likely to graduate. School choice is legal – at least that’s what the Supreme Court said in 2002. School choice is popular – a majority of the public believes that parents should be free to choose the best school for their child. School choice helps public schools – the evidence that vouchers force public schools to improve is increasing. School choice
helps low income children – many voucher programs
are designed by law specifically to benefit low-income
children and students in low-performing schools.
School choice is inexpensive – no state or city that
has implemented a voucher program has had to cut budgets.
School choice is winning – every year a new
voucher or tax credit program is enacted or an existing
program expanded; now more than 500,000 children and
families are benefiting from school choice. The
proof is there. The support is there. Vouchers can help
families escape the tyranny of the status quo. Vouchers
revolutionize the choice parents have in their
child’s education and can lead to improvement for
children. Simply, pouring money into the
Massachusetts education systems will not solve the
problem. Money is not the answer. Choice is. Robert C. Enlow is Executive Director of the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation www.FriedmanFoundation.org Send your questions
comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |
As
Massachusetts covers the growing cost of educating its
students, one would expect performance to follow. But a
recent study suggests, quite the opposite is happening
with no remorse for the children being left behind. While
the 2001 SAT scores in Massachusetts are only slightly
higher than the national average, the yearly cost of
educating each pupil has risen to $8,750. This is
nearly 39 percent more—even after factoring in
inflation—than what it cost in 1980, according to
the American Legislative Exchange Council.