In eager anticipation of the onslaught of outstanding new private schools that will inevitably arise as a result of vouchers, the Sutherland Institute has revamped their web site, UtahSchools.org.
"Since the voucher bill passed, we decided it would be a good time to give utahschools.org a facelift," said Katie Christensen, the Web site's spokeswoman. "We hope it will help parents choose the education that best fits their child." (source - Daily Herald)
That's great! I applaud them for taking these steps. As Paul Mero proclaims - "There is no greater measure of success in a child's educational experience than the degree to which a parent is involved." (blogger's note - should we all be homeschooling our kids???)
So, let's say these same parents want to compare the ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT of private schools with their public school counterparts? Last time I checked, academics are an important component of a school.
In a quote that might cost Katie her job (or at least a fatherly lecture from Mr. Mero on the dangers of speaking to the liberal press), Katie had no choice but to admit:
Hence the dilemma for voucher agitators & apologists - if we regulate, we discourage business interests from entering the new private-school-entitlement market (e.g., Challenger Schools). If we deregulate, we end up with fraud, waste, abuse, court cases, and constitutional challenges.
I invite comments on how this could actually work, because so far the voucher experiments elsewhere have been a royal mess.
P.S. I was recently admonished by a fellow blogger to stop quoting the conservative elite who are seeking to end public education and, instead, to just study the bills. To this suggestion I invite my fellow friend in the blogosphere to read my previous post "100 Unintended Consequences of HB148 - School Vouchers." There is some good news to report, though - HB174 fixes 3% of the 100 problems identified in the original bill (not that it will matter after Utah citizens repeal HB148.)
"Since the voucher bill passed, we decided it would be a good time to give utahschools.org a facelift," said Katie Christensen, the Web site's spokeswoman. "We hope it will help parents choose the education that best fits their child." (source - Daily Herald)
That's great! I applaud them for taking these steps. As Paul Mero proclaims - "There is no greater measure of success in a child's educational experience than the degree to which a parent is involved." (blogger's note - should we all be homeschooling our kids???)
So, let's say these same parents want to compare the ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT of private schools with their public school counterparts? Last time I checked, academics are an important component of a school.
In a quote that might cost Katie her job (or at least a fatherly lecture from Mr. Mero on the dangers of speaking to the liberal press), Katie had no choice but to admit:
Since we can't do academic rankings for private schools, it's hard to actually compare private and public schools side by side.
(source - Daily Herald)
Hence the dilemma for voucher agitators & apologists - if we regulate, we discourage business interests from entering the new private-school-entitlement market (e.g., Challenger Schools). If we deregulate, we end up with fraud, waste, abuse, court cases, and constitutional challenges.
I invite comments on how this could actually work, because so far the voucher experiments elsewhere have been a royal mess.
P.S. I was recently admonished by a fellow blogger to stop quoting the conservative elite who are seeking to end public education and, instead, to just study the bills. To this suggestion I invite my fellow friend in the blogosphere to read my previous post "100 Unintended Consequences of HB148 - School Vouchers." There is some good news to report, though - HB174 fixes 3% of the 100 problems identified in the original bill (not that it will matter after Utah citizens repeal HB148.)
