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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Education is a human right, and public schools, open to all, are the guardians of this right. What privatizers call choice does not really exist." -- From the Hechinger Report, They call it ‘school choice,’ but you may not end up with much of a choice at all
PRIVATIZATION
Vouchers
Time to Rein in Vouchers
Money for private schools is drained from public education.
From School Finance 101
...It would certainly be foolish to spend additional taxpayer dollars on programs that exacerbate inequality and lead to lower outcomes, especially where more efficient and more equitable alternatives exist. For example, Rauscher and Shen (2022) found that investing new school spending in higher poverty public school settings has substantially greater effect than investing the same dollar in lower poverty settings. Jackson and Mackevicius (2023) found the same across several studies. But, more recently adopted and expanded voucher programs, drive public expenditures to higher income families whose children already attend private schools, and on average, lead to lower (and less equitable) outcomes:Why is this all occurring unchecked? Precisely because it is unchecked...
- Not only are most participants in these programs already enrolled in private school but they tend to be from the highest income brackets. That is, the universal vouchers are exacerbating inequity rather than improve equity.
- Further, subsidies are often going to schools that engage in discriminatory admissions of students, creating inequality of access.
- To the extent that researchers have studied and measured the academic outcomes of these programs, they have been dismal, yielding more damage to student outcomes in reading and math than major national disasters or the recent global pandemic.
They call it ‘school choice,’ but you may not end up with much of a choice at all
Indiana’s voucher program began in 2011 and has expanded since then…it’s not just Arizona…
From the Hechinger Report
Private schools have the power to choose, not parents...
Over the years, the state incrementally made more students eligible, until full expansion was finally achieved in 2022. For some students, the amount of voucher money they qualify for is only a few thousand dollars, nowhere near enough to cover tuition at a private school. Often, their parents can’t afford to supplement the balance. However, my son, who is autistic, qualified for enough to cover full tuition...
Once a private school admits your child, they can rescind admission without cause. Private schools are at leisure to act as virtual dictatorships, and special-ed schools in particular are notorious for keeping parents at a distance...
As ESAs and private schools siphon off money and public schools start closing down, parents will be horrified to discover that nothing can defeat the closely held advantages of a private system designed to keep them out, and no amount of vouchers will make a difference.
When all the public schools are closed, and you can’t get a private school to accept your child, what will you do?
Charters
Case for Indianapolis charter schools relies on cherry-picked data
The lure of money is diverting tax dollars from public education to private pockets.
From Letters to the Editor in the Indy Star
In his column, Mind Trust CEO Brandon Brown asks why some Hoosiers are skeptical of charter schools. He follows this up with the type of selectively cherry-picked data that gives informed citizens pause.
Brown claims charters “have revolutionized public education within Indianapolis’ old city limits.” By some measures, yes. By others, no. For example, while ILEARN is problematic as a measure of students’ abilities, Indianapolis Public Schools tends to outperform the vast majority of charters within its district on that test.
Brown makes claims about the funding and performance gaps between charters and public schools. Yet, it appears that the studies he references consider innovation schools to be public schools when it comes to funding, but charter schools when it comes to test results. This leads to obviously skewed results.
He references Stanford University’s 2022 study on Indianapolis schools. That study claimed that, compared to their public school counterparts, students attending charters in Indianapolis receive the equivalent of approximately 64 more days of learning in reading and 118 more days in math. In 2023, the same research body at Stanford University published a study showing that, statewide, Hoosier charter students receive the equivalent of 26.6 fewer days of learning in reading and 2.9 more days in math.
RELIGION IN SCHOOL
Oklahoma: Tips on Teaching the Bible in Your Public School Classroom
Whose translation of the Bible should Oklahoma public schools teach from? Which books should be included? Should other holy books be included? Should non-Christian students be allowed to opt out of Bible instruction?
There's a reason the Establishment Clause was included in the First Amendment.
From Diane Ravitch
State Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters is eager to inject religion into the public schools. He has mandated the introduction of the Bible into every classroom. Some teachers in Oklahoma have begun assembling a collection of helpful lessons. Of course, as they show, you can integrate local places into your lessons. If you have some ideas, please pass them along.
For you teachers in Oklahoma, beginning this fall: This was posted on Facebook. Walters has become the butt of jokes nationwide.
Hallelujah! Thank you to my creative friends for all these great Biblical math problems. They’ll really help the Oklahoma school superintendent’s goal of inserting biblical content into math and science! I’ve collected a multitude of the problems into one post for ease of reading:
1) Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). If he lay with one wife or concubine every night at the Mayo Hotel or The Skirvin but took off one day per week for rest, how many days would it take him to lay with all of his wives and concubines?
LOCAL NEWS
School building upgrades part of plan as EACS begins budget talks
From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**
East Allen County Schools’ proposed $4.1 million capital projects plan for the upcoming budget cycle generated no questions from the board during a preliminary review Tuesday.
Community members curious about the district’s proposed 2025 spending plan can learn more Sept. 3. That’s when Chief Financial Officer Pat McCann is expected to review the entire budget, including the operations and education funds.
Public hearings on the overall budget, capital projects plan and bus replacement plan are planned for Sept. 17 with board approval expected Oct. 15. Meetings typically begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Administration Building, 1240 Indiana 930 E., New Haven.
Capital projects are supported by the operations fund, which pays for most of the district’s noninstructional expenses and generates revenue through property and other taxes.
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JOIN US
An Evening with Jennifer McCormick
NEIFPE is proud to co-sponsor this event featuring Jennifer McCormick, candidate for Governor of Indiana. We hope you can attend.
Click HERE to register for the September 25th event:
**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is essential; one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information, go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/ [NOTE: NEIFPE has no financial ties to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette]
†Note: NEIFPE's In Case You Missed It is posted by the end of the day every Monday except after holiday weekends or as otherwise noted.
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