The families that use them would beg to differ. In fact, the program in DC (hardly a conservative haven) adopted it, after years of opposition to it. And its effectiveness is well-documented.
A crucial study released today indicates that the much-discussed voucher program
for students in Washington, D.C. is having a positive impact on academic
performance.
Specifically, the report demonstrated statistically significant student
improvement in reading. To achieve the same results, students who do not receive
vouchers would have to spend 3.7 additional months in their public schools, the
report found.
The results showed that students who have been in the program the longest have
seen the largest gains: "The reading impacts for cohort 1 are equivalent to 1.5
or 2 years of extra learning (14 to 19 months)."
This report comes at a critical time for parents in the nation`s capital, as
Congress deliberates on whether to continue funding for the D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship Program, which serves 1,700 children from very low-income families.
With this positive news, additional Members of Congress should now be ready to
embrace the program, which was placed in jeopardy because of language inserted
into the FY 2009 omnibus budget bill by Congressional opponents.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS196124+03-Apr-2009+BW20090403
That was also shown in the struggling Cleveland, Ohio area, home of some of the WORST public schools in the country. Cleveland's program was made famous in the 2002 Supreme Court case, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. Basically, this was an appeal to a ruling of the Ohio Supreme Court, who tried to kill the program, not due to its lack of results, but because the overwhelming majority of families who used it sent their kids to Christian schools.
The Supreme Court overturned the Ohio court and ruled that the program DID NOT violate the US Constitution. Therefore, voucher programs are kosher, provided they follow the mold of the Cleveland program. The fact that parents choose Christian schools over other public schools hold no bearing on the program's legality.
So what if a voucher system is constitutional? That’s irrelevant.
What is relevant is that private schools can kick out any student that is not meeting the grade. So your study is flawed from the outset b/c of the selectivity inherent in private schools.
Public schools have no such luxury.
The 1700 students referenced in the study mean nothing b/c those 1700 sought the financial handout. Get back to me when the selection is not so selective.
Let's see, we have people jonesing to be part of the fin. handout for vouchers. What if Jeff Spicoli and dozens of dirtbag clones like him also take part?
Something tells me that the results would go into the crapper.
Vouchers are not effective, they are smoke and mirrors and a sop to the religious community which holds that a little churching up in the classroom is all we need for sound academics.
Same principle as 'home schooling' bullshit.
It appears you don't read very well. The article is about American liberals. Please show where that criticism is LIMITED to those in elected office. Of course, that still doesn't answer the question of Penn's grand chastiting of those who supported Prop. 8, while being cozy with ol' Mahmoud (who tends to string up the gay folks within his borders).
And, if you wish go there about foreign policy, what had this adminstration (or the Clinton one, for that matter) done about much of these same atrocities in those same countries (to say nothing about those in the Middle East)?
Oh I read just fine, do you? What in the hell makes you think Sean Penn is representative of liberals? Is it this:
Party Time '08: Sean Penn To 'Reluctantly' Vote For Obama"I will reluctantly vote for Obama," an exhausted looking, wild-haired Penn told us. Asked whether he'll contribute money to Obama, he said, "He doesn't need money from me."
So Penn views Obama, the liberal’s liberal, with antipathy yet he’s your first choice to sound off. Something’s amiss.
As for Clinton…did Clinton actively support and intervene on behalf of latin American dictators and death squads the way Reagan did? I don’t think so.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/08/party_time_08_sean_penn_to_rel.html
