Posted on 06/23/2008 1:35:21 PM PDT by NoGrayZone
"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 Program, examining approximately 19 months of instruction. The results indicate that students who received vouchers realized higher academic achievement than students who were not awarded a voucher, though the differences between both groups of students were not statistically significant.[2]"
"Despite this lack of statistical differentiation, students who participated in the Opportunity Scholarship Program achieved higher reading scores than students who did not. The study also indicated that certain subgroups of students experienced significant positive gains in reading achievement.[3] These results are encouraging because they offer compelling evidence of two years of positive achievement gains for D.C. voucher program participants.[4]"
(Excerpt) Read more at heritage.org ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032765/posts
I went and searched, came across this one. Now, whom am I to believe? The washington post or Heritage Foundation????.....(rhetorical, of course).
These vouchers are for private schools?
Says...”The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program has provided hundreds of families with an alternative to public schools that, more often than not, fail to meet the safety and educational needs of students.”
It doesn’t surprise me that the kids score higher but this isn’t a good idea. It would be better if the private schools would set aside a % of scholarships that could be applied for. Keep government out.
Too late to keep the government out of public schools. This is one good way of parents “taking their kids” back AWAY from government hands.
Public schools are the bottom of the barrel. It may not be the “answer”, but we must start somewhere.
The strings are almost invisable right now but once private schools get dependent on government vouchers then the rules and regs will tighten up. Why mess up something that is working? I’m all for these kids getting scholarships and out but not this way.
“The strings are almost invisable right now but once private schools get dependent on government vouchers then the rules and regs will tighten up.”
As long as the majority is private money, I don’t see the government having too much power there.
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The Opportunity Scholars program is a tremendous success. I have witnessed it daily while teaching at a private high school in DC that accepts — at a financial loss — a good number of these students.
Last year I walked a talented child who came to us through this program straight into a 50K, full-ride scholarship at an elite college that she had no hope of reaching out of DCPS.
The impact of vouchers can only be measured one student at a time. Thank the President for promoting and personally investing himself in this program.
“The Opportunity Scholars program is a tremendous success. I have witnessed it daily while teaching at a private high school in DC that accepts — at a financial loss — a good number of these students.”
There is NOTHING like a first hand account of such a success. Thank you so much for posting that!
“The impact of vouchers can only be measured one student at a time.”
Amen!!!
I think I heard on the radio the other day that the teachers’ union was asking congress to get rid of this voucher program in D.C. in spite of its success. Anyone else hear this?
the teachers’ union was asking congress to get rid of this voucher program in D.C.They probably have. DC's teachers union is under a full assault, from Congress' reforms under W, and now the new DC administrators, and they're reeling.
Even Marion Barry has come out in support of the Oppt. Scholars program.
A good many of the kids at my school are there because somebody in their lives wants them out of the DC or PG County public schools. Whether the kids want it or not, our school is a haven, and for those 30-50 kids we get every year from the Oppt. Scholars program, it represents a safe harbor that would not have been otherwise available to their parents/guardians.
I see no scholastic difference between the Opportunity Scholars and the rest of the student body, which tells me that it’s a valid, fair program.
I thank God every day for having those kids in my class. Their parents/guardians do so, too, and they tell me.
Thanks for your comments. I’m proud to be a part of this program.
BTTT!
That means there's no difference.
See post 9 and 13.
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