Can a school voucher program be created in a non-ideologic manner to address needs of all children?

[maf763]

Originally Posted by HuskyMama

Under a voucher program, they would be able to build anywhere, and if real estate is less expensive in poor areas, they'd probably find it cost effective, even losing part of the voucher money.

And they would be voucher mills, fly-by-night operations that are designed to suck up the steady government -supplied checks with far less regard for student outcomes.

Any talk of vouchers needs to come down to logistics:
-Who gets the vouchers - everyone? including wealthy people who are already sending their kids to expensive private schools - or just poorer people or people in poorly performing schools? see how that plays out politically
- How much - the same for everyone regardless of income or disability? again, see how that plays out politically
- Where can they be used - other public schools? good schools don't have the infrastructure or desire to take student refugees from poorer districts - religious schools? another political football - for profit private schools? this is where the prison example makes sense - current private schools? don't have the capacity to accommodate that many kids (between 5-6 million kids currently in private school and close to 50 million in public schools)

While they might have appeal in theory, voucher programs are too logistically challenging to be successful. Besides, the people in power who want to privatize education have abandoned vouchers in favor of charter schools.

[Meyerland]

The Houston area has 50+ charter schools, which receive the same amount of State money as public schools. The federal money does not follow the student. It started in 1995.

Some are good, some are okay, and some are terrible. Legally they must service low income students.

This has some good background on the issue, although it stops in 2001.
http://www.ncspe.org/publications_files/OP104.pdf

There aren't many charter schools I would send my child to, but a select few that have proven themselves and are more racially balanced. They all have entrance requirements btw. The ones that don't I would never send my child there.

The problem with school vouchers is the schools that pop up to service low income students face the same problems as the public schools unless they cherry pick students. If you have that, just open public magnet schools that can cherry pick like private schools. If you have attendance, grades, and behavior requirements any school will succeed.

I suggest alternative learning campuses for disruptive students, entrance requirement based magnets and charters, and gifted/special need campuses that allow students to work at their own pace. Also have GED programs for students in danger of dropping out, as well as half day work programs.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

The Houston area has 50+ charter schools, which receive the same amount of State money as public schools. The federal money does not follow the student. It started in 1995.

Some are good, some are okay, and some are terrible. Legally they must service low income students.

This has some good background on the issue, although it stops in 2001.
http://www.ncspe.org/publications_files/OP104.pdf

There aren't many charter schools I would send my child to, but a select few that have proven themselves and are more racially balanced. They all have entrance requirements btw. The ones that don't I would never send my child there.

The problem with school vouchers is the schools that pop up to service low income students face the same problems as the public schools unless they cherry pick students. If you have that, just open public magnet schools that can cherry pick like private schools. If you have attendance, grades, and behavior requirements any school will succeed.

I suggest alternative learning campuses for disruptive students, entrance requirement based magnets and charters, and gifted/special need campuses that allow students to work at their own pace. Also have GED programs for students in danger of dropping out, as well as half day work programs.

^^^^THIS