Allocating vouchers to parents for private school tuition will not fix the problems in our education system.
Americans believe that it is OK to use taxpayer money to assist worthwhile people or institutions on a temporary basis when they are struggling or in a weakened condition. Americans believe that American churches and the institution of religion in American are neither struggling nor weak. In fact, we consider our churches strong, vibrant and active. Therefore we reject the premise that churches need to be propped up by government funds.

Americans also agree with the stipulation in the first amendment to our constitution that states congress shall not legislate the "establishment of religion."

The concept of vouchers as currently accepted in the U.S. violates both of those generally accepted American beliefs. There is no question that school vouchers in their present configuration steer public money into tax-exempt church institutions, no matter how indirectly. That money is used to fund programs that openly and blatantly indoctrinate students with a specific religious heritage and dogma associated with the churches that operate the schools.

Can voucher programs be acceptable? If participating private schools are required to adhere to the same constitutional and academic standards as public schools, these programs might well pass these two tests. One condition is the absence of religious indoctrination in any form. This does not exclude many forms of values education, it simply eliminates specific religious indoctrination. Another condition is that a currently accepted body of knowledge is presented to students. For example, as the program is currently designed, a private school could theoretically use taxpayer funds to teach children that the Earth is flat. Therefore, private schools must be required to submit to some kind of accreditation process in order to qualify for government funds. In addition, private schools (whether or not they receive federal funds) should be required to administer any standardized tests that are required by the public schools. These tests will provide some accountability from the private schools with regard to student achievement, as well as providing a feedback mechanism to alert interested parties when the curriculum strays too far from generally accepted educational norms (i.e. the flat earth.)

What will derail the current voucher program? Although there appears currently to be little support for voucher programs among the general public, the recent Supreme Court decision allowing public money to fund private schools will undoubtedly result in an increase in the number of voucher programs. This will result in generous amounts of government money being made accessible to private schools, which will in turn result in a burgeoning number of private schools ready to take the money. Inevitably someone will found a private school with the express purpose of indoctrinating children in an unpopular religion or belief system.

For example, imagine the reaction to the Sagan Preparatory School. It advances the blatant and open doctrine of non-theism, or atheism. The faculty consists of experts in the fields that they teach, without regard to teaching credentials. The only requirement for faculty admission is the renunciation of a supreme being. It boasts an emphasis on science, math, geopolitics and world history, life sciences and agriculture, physics, and electronics. The intent is to prepare students for careers in advanced engineering, statistical analysis, computer programming, agricultural development, medicine and medical research, diplomacy, architecture, etc. It also requires a study of “Religion In Perspective.” In addition to reviewing community services provided by local churches, this course will examine the role of religions in history, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the burning of witches in early Massachusetts, the current abuse of children by Priests, the “abnormal” rituals of various religions around the world such as physical mutilation, violent actions in the name of religion as currently practiced in the Middle East, as well as a study of the attraction of myth and the supernatural in the various religions. The course will illustrate that religion and morality are not inherently linked, and that one may or may not exist without the other.

Many other yet to be conceived examples of “non-traditional” schools will appear. (Imagine an Islamic school in your neighborhood receiving federal funds!) The public backlash to public funds being used to fund these schools will force the educational establishment, local school systems and eventually the Supreme Court to re-examine the entire premise of the public funding of private education.

Another byproduct of a shift from public schools to private schools will be the re-segregation of the American school system, especially in the early grades. Unlike past incidents of school segregation that segregated students specifically by race, this bout with segregation will also segregate students with the highest levels of achievement from their lower achieving peers. In the initial stages of the program, there will be more vouchers and more children of voucher anxious parents than there will be places for these children in the private schools. Schools may be required by the letter of the law to admit students on a random basis, but methods will undoubtedly materialize that will allow private schools to select the best applicants while rejecting the remaining students, returning them to the public schools. This will have the effect of further eroding the quality of public education in America.

What are the solutions to the problems of education in America today?

A cultivation of respect between students and teachers. The oldest teachers should teach the youngest students, and the youngest teachers should teach the oldest students. A young (not beginning, but young) teacher should start out teaching at the high school level. As they age, they should gradually be transferred to younger students until at the end of their working lives they are teaching early elementary students.

Demonstrating relevance of subject to students, especially at the upper levels. Granted, this can be difficult to grasp for a student who has an inherently limited life experience. Still, the current effort is nonexistent. As a matter of fact, the idea that various elements of education should have to be justified to students is sometimes seen as insulting to educators. This attitude must change.

An expectation of high achievement levels.

A reasonable and manageable workload for teachers.

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3/28/2024

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