The most recent federal evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program found that students who used the voucher experienced a decline in their test scores. Betsy DeVos was undisturbed by the finding because, she said, when choice is fully expanded, all sectors will get the same results. I suppose that means that choice is the goal of choice, not better education. Previous evaluations said that even though vouchers had no impact on test scores, the graduation rate of voucher students was higher, but those evaluations downplayed or hid the high attrition rate from the voucher schools, which falsely inflated the graduation rate.
Ted Cruz and Mark Meadows, a Republican from North Carolina, want to extend vouchers to every student in the District of Columbia. They claim that vouchers (i.e., the destruction of public education) is “the civil rights issue of our time.” You can always count on rightwing Republicans like Cruz and Meadows to be concerned about civil rights.
Maybe they should have a sit-down with the NAACP, which believes that the adequate and equitable funding of public schools is one of the civil rights issues of our times, along with stopping the Republican efforts to suppress the vote of African Americans.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I read the article in the WashPost. This legislation has no chance of passing. It is a “stunt” to show the voters back home in TX/NC. Any opponent of school choice, should not lose any sleep over this!
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How do they keep a straight face when they speak every time These 1% country club nationalist we-win-you-lose isolationists invoke civil rights as their motive.
At least (it seems) George W. Bush meant it when he talked about poor education as the soft bigotry of low expectations.
And then there’s the president going to Jackson Mississippi Saturday. He hasn’t a clue who Medgar Evers is – – and he doesn’t speak out against shootings today so why would he pretend he cares about one decades ago.
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Well, everyone respects and listens to Ted Cruz (sarcasm).
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“Betsy DeVos was undisturbed by the finding because, she said, when choice is fully expanded, all sectors will get the same results.”
This is the funniest opinion; I am really LOL. What our Betsy is stating is that as soon as everybody is using vouchers, nobody will be left to score higher than kids with vouchers.
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“They claim that vouchers (i.e., the destruction of public education) is “the civil rights issue of our time.”
Yeah, we are talking about the civil rights of a minority with the smallest population: they make up about .1% of the population in the US and .001% worldwide. Their freedom—guaranteed by the Constitution—of accumulating $1 trillion is made very difficult by the thinking part of the population, so they need our kids in schools that teach them acceptance of the current world order, and hence servitude of the .1%’s economy.
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Cruz overlooks two important facts. 1.DC voters rejected school,vouchers in the 1981 referendum by 89% to 11%. 2. The TX legislature won’t approve vouchers.
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The DC voucher program could be expanded by Act of Congress, without a popular vote, which is how all voucher programs were created, bo Congress in DC, by state legislatures in states.
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The WashDC voucher program, is the only voucher program in the USA, that was created by the (federal) congress, and is administered by the federal government. WashDC is a federal district, and although it has limited home-rule (mayor, town council,etc), The nation’s capital belongs to the nation, and the federal government administers the federal district.
There is no mechanism for referenda (of this nature) in the current charter for the (home) government of WashDC. Q , election law for the District of Columbia did not allow a citizen initiative to mandate the expenditure of city funds END Q
The city tried to get marijuana legalized, and the Feds quashed it. The city wanted to get a gaming casino, and the Feds quashed that too.
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As Ed Doerr pointed out, there was a referendum on vouchers in DC in the early 1980s, and the public voted them down by 89-11. In DC, democracy hasn’t happened yet.
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The license plates in DC read “Taxation without representation”. DC residents pay federal taxes, but no say in the federal congress. They get a non-voting delegate only. DC residents do get to vote presidential elections.
I prefer to think of DC residents having “limited home-rule”. Their democracy is limited, and they are second-class US citizens.
Shame on us, for permitting this!
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How are the rights of Puerto Rico residents? They can’t even vote during pres elections.
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I stand corrected. DC had a referendum in 1981, on tuition tax credits
Q The citizens of the District of Columbia did not ask for the voucher program—they opposed it. In 1981, DC voters soundly rejected referendum on a tuition tax credit (which is a different form of government school voucher) with 89% opposed and only 11% in favor. DC citizens again clearly expressed their opposition to vouchers in an opinion poll conducted in November 2002—prior to Congress’ enactment of the DC voucher program. In that poll, 75% of District voters opposed private school vouchers.12 END Q
The ability of DC residents to have initiatives and referenda (similar to California, and other states) is limited, and highly regulated.
Notwithstanding these polls and referendum, the fact is that about 50% of DC school children attend charter schools!!
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Q How are the rights of Puerto Rico residents? They can’t even vote during pres elections.END Q
Puerto Rico is a commonwealth, under nominal US sovereignty. This year is the 100th anniversary of the commonwealth. The USA won the island in the Spanish-American war.
Puerto Rico was made a commonwealth in 1917, so that the male residents would be eligible for the draft to provide soldiers for WW1. Islanders are American citizens, with nearly all of the rights of citizens. They do NOT pay US taxes. They do NOT vote for congress, senate, or president, or any USA federal officials. They may legally relocate to the US Mainland at any time, with no visa, just like moving from California to Nevada. The US dollar (and food stamps) are the legal currency. The USA runs the telecommunications.
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” Islanders are American citizens, with nearly all of the rights of citizens. They do NOT pay US taxes.”
Well, they cannot vote, they have limited representation in Congress. Would you say, you have nearly all your rights if you couldn’t vote? Puerto Ricans paid almost $4 billion to the US treasury in taxes in 2009—according Wikipedia.
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Q Well, they cannot vote, they have limited representation in Congress. Would you say, you have nearly all your rights if you couldn’t vote? Puerto Ricans paid almost $4 billion to the US treasury in taxes in 2009—according Wikipedia. END Q
Keep in mind, that I am an engineer, and not a constitutional lawyer. Puerto Ricans cannot vote in federal elections, but they can vote for their own governor, assembly, mayors, etc. Puerto Rico is NOT a state, and not endowed with the rights and powers of a state.
Islanders do not have “limited” representation in the federal congress. They have a non-voting delegate, and that is all.
The islanders many, but not all of the rights of mainland citizens. They are entitled to the protection of the US Defense establishment. They can make and enforce contracts. They can bring lawsuits before federal courts, including the Supreme Court. They are entitled to a court-appointed lawyer. They can leave the island, and relocate to the mainland at any time, without a visa.
Islanders do NOT pay federal income taxes. They do pay excise taxes, and other federal taxes (like the luxury taxes on perfume,etc)
It is perfectly fair to say, that Islanders have nearly all of the rights of mainland citizens.
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