reboot the republic

Obama’s newest “deficit-conscious” budget calls for a 9% increase in federal education spending. Instead of dumping the money on our flailing public K-12 system, he should try something that actually works. Today’s Wall Street Journal suggests that he look at the voucher program in Milwaukee:

In 2008 the graduation rate for voucher students was 77% versus 65% for the nonvoucher students, though the latter receives $14,000 per pupil in taxpayer support, or more than double the $6,400 per pupil that voucher students receive in public funding.

I don’t consider graduation rates the best comparative measure.  Schools may graduate kids who are uneducated and unprepared.  But other studies of voucher programs find that voucher kids’ test scores rise. That’s a better measure.

It’s unlikely that the president will support vouchers. In Washington D.C., Obama killed the Opportunity Scholarship program even though it raised test scores while spending half as much money as government schools spent. The unions give to Democrats, and the unions don’t want competition to their public school monopoly.

Unless we allow parents more choice, we effectively imprison kids. I will do a show on that soon. Suggestions invited.