http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/vouchers/ en-us Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:05:44 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065495/posts America's first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992. Sixteen years later, there are 4,128 charter schools educating 1.24 million students in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Another 300 to 400 are expected to open in the coming school year. Charter schools are public schools, but they are very different. The Center for Education Reform's 2008 Annual Survey reports that responding charter schools are one-third smaller than conventional public schools, with about 348 students, compared with 521. They spend less—about $7,625 per student, compared with $9,138 in public schools—and they receive only about 61% of the per pupil... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065495/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:05:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060235/posts Schools: While Obama's children enjoy the best education money can buy, he wants to deny inner-city children the education change we can believe in — school choice. He prefers cradle-to-diploma collectivist education. When Barack Obama collected the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers, he told the teachers that support for alternatives to the education monopoly amounted to "tired rhetoric about vouchers and school choice." He recently told an interviewer that he opposes school choice because "although it might benefit some kids at the top, what you're going to do is leave a lot of kids at the bottom." Not... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060235/posts#comment Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:27:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2060173/posts The Dallas Housing Authority begins accepting online applications today for court-ordered rental assistance available to black residents who want to live in predominantly white neighborhoods.The DHA is required to offer the vouchers only to blacks as part of a court settlement to address past discrimination.... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2060173/posts#comment Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:42:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2055569/posts Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 8:44:19 AM by Soliton don't remember when I first learned about the theory of evolution, but nowadays I find myself reading of it a great deal in the popular press and hearing it discussed in the media. As my daughter enters elementary school, I find myself anxious to discuss with her teachers what they will cover in science class and where in their curriculum they plan to teach evolution. OUR COUNTRY HAS LAWS THAT SEPARATE church and state. Public institutions like schools must be neutral on the subject of religion, as required by the... Red Orbit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2055569/posts#comment Sun, 3 Aug 2008 00:57:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055367/posts Aug. 2--ORLANDO -- In a sign that the road to the White House runs through Florida, the presidential candidates overlapped in the state Friday for the first time, offering contrasting fixes for the economy while confronting racial issues. In Orlando, McCain defended his opposition to affirmative action and support for private-school vouchers in front of a mostly black audience at the National Urban League convention. About 100 miles west, in St. Petersburg, protesters at a racially diverse town-hall meeting held up a banner demanding of Obama, "What about the black community?" The mild but tense confrontations came one day after... http://www.redorbit.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055367/posts#comment Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:17:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2052065/posts It's an AP article so I can't excerpt, just summarize. Sweden generally has a system of government schools with a national curriculum, but for the past 16 years has also allowed "independent" private schools, which are government funded, cannot charge tuition, but can choose their own teaching methods. Some comparison to vouchers in our country, discussion of methods schools use to attract students, and some of the differences between private and public schools there. The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2052065/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:54:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050038/posts TALLAHASSEE -- The citizen panel empowered to put amendments before voters ended its first meeting in 20 years with a bang Friday, asking Floridians to defy the state Supreme Court by allowing tax money to pay for kids to go to private schools. The proposal to allow the state to pay for private school vouchers was the last constitutional amendment -- one of seven -- the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission agreed to put on the November ballot. If 60 percent of voters agree, the measure will undo a 2006 Supreme Court ruling that threw out the vouchers as unconstitutional.... Miami Herald.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050038/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:38:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049322/posts ...The fundamental problem with the voucher debate is that it is always seen as an either/or proposition. For Republicans, it is the panacea to all the educational woes, and that is nonsensical. For Democrats, they say it will destroy public education, and that too is a bunch of crap. I fundamentally believe that vouchers are simply one part of the entire educational pie. There is no surefire way to educate a child. We've seen public schools do a great job (I went to them from kindergarten through college) along with private schools, home schooling, charter schools and even online initiatives.... The Capital Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049322/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:14:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047740/posts When he was a state senator in Illinois in June 2002, Barack Obama was explicitly asked by Chicago media personality Jeff Berkowitz whether he supports school vouchers. “I would support anything that is going to be better for the children of Illinois,” he said. He emphatically added that “I am not closed minded on the issue.” In February 2008, Obama spoke to reporters from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the issue. Still keeping an open mind, he said, “If there was any argument for vouchers, it was ‘Let’s see if the experiment works.’ And if it does, whatever my preconception,... Catholic League http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047740/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:32:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045427/posts Senator Obama apparently felt free enough from obligations to the American Federation of Teachers, which is meeting in his home city of Chicago, that he skipped their convention and appeared by video. The AFT had endorsed Mr. Obama's opponent, Senator Clinton, in the Democratic primary. Too bad Mr. Obama doesn't feel free enough to deviate from the union's policy agenda. That he is captive to it was made clear by his prepared remarks. "What I do oppose is using public money for private school vouchers. We need to focus on fixing and improving our public schools; not throwing our hands... The New York Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045427/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:02:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042742/posts Better schools. Higher scores. And satisfied parents. That's the record of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. It is helping us keep our promise to leave no child behind in America. If Congress is thinking of breaking this promise, the nation deserves to know the story. Signed into law by President Bush four years ago, the program is the first to provide federally funded education vouchers to students. It awards up to $7,500 per child for tuition, transportation and fees; in 2007-08 it enabled 1,900 students from the underperforming Washington public school system -- the highest total yet -- to attend... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042742/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 03:02:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038804/posts Too often, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., is the typical opportunistic politician. But on a few issues, notably school vouchers and the war against Islamic extremists, he seems guided by principle rather than pragmatism. Sen. Lieberman this month helped block an attempt by teachers unions and their congressional servants to kill the Opportunity Scholarship Program in Washington, D.C. The program gives scholarships so 2,000 mostly low-income, minority students in the nation's worst public school system can attend private or parochial schools. A number of leading Democrats, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and past and present mayors of Washington, want the... Waterbury Republican-American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038804/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:41:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037340/posts Eleanor Holmes Norton is hoping to save nearly 2,000 city students from the dreaded federal voucher program that allows them to attend well-functioning private schools in a safe and nurturing environment. Mrs. Norton vehemently opposes the voucher program because of its imposition on the District´s public schools, which, of course, perform at levels of bad and worse. Mrs. Norton and the like-minded in the Democrat-controlled Congress want to end the $18 million program because it works, is a big hit with the parents of disadvantaged students and provides low-income families with a choice. Some of the testimonials of the parents... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037340/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:52:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036940/posts A landmark education program that provides opportunity to hundreds of families in the nation's capital to attend private schools is being opposed by Democrats in Congress. Barack Obama told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in February that he was open to voucher programs, but just last week announced his intentions to squash the DC pilot program. "Barack Obama prefers private education for his daughters but won't give DC parents the same opportunity," said Brian Burch, President of Fidelis, a Catholic-based political, legal, research and educational organization. "Vouchers are Change," he continued. "Rather than subjecting kids to rotting schools, vouchers have brought change... Life Site News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036940/posts#comment Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:51:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035240/posts "In January 2004, Congress passed the District of Columbia School Choice Incentive Act of 2003, the first federally funded school voucher program in the United States. Now known as the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, this initiative provides scholarships of up to $7,500 to more than 1,900 low-income students in the District. A recent U.S. Department of Education (DOE) evaluation of the program should provide policymakers with some encouragement, as the report demonstrates that the Opportunity Scholarship Program is having a positive impact on students and families alike.[1]" "The DOE evaluation reviews the first two years of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship... The Heritage Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035240/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:35:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032765/posts Students in the D.C. school voucher program, the first federal initiative to spend taxpayer dollars on private school tuition, generally did no better on reading and math tests after two years than public school peers, a U.S. Education Department report said yesterday.The findings mirror those in previous studies of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032765/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:35:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032746/posts When Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, he notably dissented from liberal orthodoxy on welfare and the death penalty. Many observers have been wondering if Barack Obama will follow Clinton's example. They frequently raise school choice as a cause Obama could take up to show his independence from Democratic interest groups. It doesn't look as if that's going to happen, as ABC News's Jake Tapper reports: On the same day that he was extolling the need to shake up the "status quo" in education, Obama also defended his opposition to school vouchers. "We don't have enough slots for every... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032746/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:38:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032578/posts WASHINGTON – Voters are demonstrating widespread dissatisfaction with public schools in a series of surveys. In the latest scientifically representative poll conducted by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice among Idaho voters, only 12 percent of parents said they would choose government school for their children if other options were available. The results were similar in other states, including Illinois, Nevada and Tennessee. The Indiana-based Friedman Foundation is using the surveys to gauge American attitudes toward school choice. In addition, the Idaho survey revealed only 4 percent of parents between the ages of 36 and 55 would use public schools... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032578/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:08:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031864/posts Last week was tempestuous among defenders of the embattled school choice programs for disabled and foster children. Following an East Valley Tribune report and an article published here by Tim Keller of the Institute for Justice reporting that Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne had decided not to award vouchers next year, Horne responded with a memorandum provocatively entitled “Lies from the Goldwater Institute” denying that he had done so. The Arizona Republic weighed in for Horne, blasting Keller and the Goldwater Institute for assertions that were “insulting” and untrue. Horne and the Republic simply are wrong. Though the Court... The Goldwater Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031864/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:47:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027424/posts THE best schools in the world, it is generally agreed, are in Finland. In the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies, which compare 15-year-olds' reading, mathematics and science abilities in more than 50 countries, it routinely comes top. So politicians, academics, think-tankers and teachers from all over the world visit Finnish schools in the hope of discovering the magic ingredient. Journalists come too, and now it’s my turn. And since I'm coming this far north, I want to take in Sweden too. That social-democratic paradise has carried out school reforms that make free-market ideologues the world over weak... The Economist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027424/posts#comment Sat, 7 Jun 2008 01:10:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026776/posts Saving the best for last, Gov. Sonny Perdue “sealed his legacy as one of America’s foremost ‘education governors’ ” last week. That’s the view of Lori Drummer, director of state projects for the Washington-based Alliance for School Choice, the nation’s largest nonprofit promoting school vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs. “Georgia is now a national leader in a school choice movement that is gaining momentum,” she said. The reason for her exuberance? On the final day allotted to deal with legislation passed by this year’s General Assembly, Perdue signed a bill authored by State Rep. David Casas (R-Lilburn) that will... Atlanta Journal-Constitution http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026776/posts#comment Thu, 5 Jun 2008 23:45:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2009159/posts I don’t think I have to restate here the evidence of the failures of our public school system. While it is true that an education system cannot deal with the disintegration of American society that is ongoing (again, ample evidence of this is all around us), it is also true that those low-income families that want a good education for their children have no place to go. After pouring more and more money into public school systems for 40-50 years with only further deterioration taking place, it is clear to those not feeding off the system that more money is... From Sea to Shining Sea http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2009159/posts#comment Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:58:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997398/posts The way to solve any problem is to analyze its causes and propose common sense solutions that don’t exacerbate it further. In this case, the educational crisis stems from three factors. First, many urban children are brought up without guidance and direction. Second, children have been raised to “do what feels good,” with a focus on instant gratification and without regard for what’s best long term (even if this was not the parents’ intent, children often learn by example). And last, the school system has stopped stimulating academic growth and fails to deal with the student’s specific needs. As a... Canada Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997398/posts#comment Sun, 6 Apr 2008 01:24:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970310/posts A Mother’s Wisdom: Congresswoman introduces nationwide foster care scholarship bill Dan Lips, Goldwater Institute Daily Email, February 13, 2008 As a foster mother to 23 children, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) appreciates the many challenges faced by foster children—and those who care for them. One big hurdle is education. “We quickly learned that our foster children had very different needs than most children,” Bachman has said. Most of the children in her care had special needs, were in therapy, and had other behavioral or learning issues. Judging by all outcome measures, foster children struggle in school compared to their peers. Foster... The Goldwater Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970310/posts#comment Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:43:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969112/posts Sweeping the Truth under the Rug: Disability and foster care scholarships in danger Goldwater Institute Daily Email February 12, 2008 Governor Janet Napolitano has very different ideas about education reform from my own, but I have had to confess a grudging respect for her. In 2006, she went down in history as the first Democrat governor to sign a new school voucher program into law. A few seconds later, she did it again, creating voucher programs for both students with disabilities and foster care children. Now, as a part of her budget proposals, the Governor’s office has proposed “sweeping” the... The Goldwater Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969112/posts#comment Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:48:00 GMT