Betsy DeVos and Vouchers - Yes!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bottom line is that there is no silver bullet when it comes to student achievement in the US.

Most cliche phrase ever used about education.

Guess people keep saying it because it is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in DC and pay $26k per year for each of my kids to go to private school, I can afford it now with no voucher. My kids' school is extremely selective and will not now start opening up spots for kids who couldn't pay but for a voucher, but somehow the government may be willing to pay me to send my kids to a private school that I'm already paying for out of pocket? How will this improve anything beyond my own financial position?

Then why are you trolling on a public school sight? You might just be a sock puppet.

Every single private school forum thread has tons of public school parents who will answer a question like "what private school has the best debate team?" with the response "public school!" and then when asked why they're all in the private school forum they get vicious about elitism, their horrible views of private schools, etc.

I thought that if we're now going to have the public school crowd come fund my private school for my benefit I should at least come down here and say thank you.

[Anonymous]

It's like having a Katherine Bradley on the national scene!

[Anonymous]

I applaud this appointment because Betsy DeVos will accomplish precious little, other than perhaps drawing attention to the fact that having money follow students to schools might help. She will undoubtedly make many more enemies on the job. The worse things get at the Dept. of Ed, the farther the pendulum will likely swing back in 2020 for a stronger Dem than Hillary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in DC and pay $26k per year for each of my kids to go to private school, I can afford it now with no voucher. My kids' school is extremely selective and will not now start opening up spots for kids who couldn't pay but for a voucher, but somehow the government may be willing to pay me to send my kids to a private school that I'm already paying for out of pocket? How will this improve anything beyond my own financial position?

Then why are you trolling on a public school sight? You might just be a sock puppet.

Every single private school forum thread has tons of public school parents who will answer a question like "what private school has the best debate team?" with the response "public school!" and then when asked why they're all in the private school forum they get vicious about elitism, their horrible views of private schools, etc.

I thought that if we're now going to have the public school crowd come fund my private school for my benefit I should at least come down here and say thank you.

If you're not a troll, then I guess you like throwing away your tax dollars and getting nothing in return since you're at a private already. With vouchers, you get something back for what you're paying in; where's the sarcasm there?

[Anonymous]

Am wondering -- do we think Rhee turned him down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you're poorly informed. DC has a school voucher program that is a miserable failure. Most of the students go to schools that are almost entirely voucher-funded and there is no accredation or accountability process for these voucher schools. The state of these schools is extremely bad. Vouchers will not fix the public education challenges in our city or in our country.

They go to parochial schools that cost less than $10,000, many of which are Blue Ribbon schools where kids learn a great deal in a safe environment. What's wrong with that? PP, you sound like a DCPS troll.

Really? Can you name some since folks on here will be needing to enroll their kids.

Also, you all need to become catholic.

[Anonymous]

I am an Indian Hindu immigrant who voted for Clinton. How will this impact my children? What happens when the standards of public education becomes very low and there is not much of a curriculum to speak of at school? What will happen if they start teaching the Bible at school?

To start with, any Indian I know is not really depending on the curriculum in this country to educate their child. We all have the parallel system of education going on where are children are being enriched as well as as participating in all possible competitions to gauge where they stand. So, here is an entire community who is already on plan B, and so we will continue to do so.

Christian education? I was educated in convent schools in India. Nuns in habits and all. It did not change my religious beliefs because Jesus became just one of the many Gods that we have and we fervently asked him and Ganesh for good grades. For me,"Bible" reading will be another subject that hopefully will allow them to answer a whole category of Jeopardy questions. They should bring on Torah and Koran and Gita too. Because we need to be able to see what the commonalities in religions are. And as an Indian parent focused on education - all knowledge is good.

Where does this or any education secretary leave us? Frankly, the education standard is so low in the US, that it does not matter to any of us. What can she or anyone do in 4 years? The education is in a downward death spiral here - this needs to be made amply clear to everyone here that having a country completely run by Republicans will not change that at all.

Achievement Gap will become bigger because Asians students are not really depending on US K-12 academic standards for their education. And unless they outsource the teaching to the teachers in India who know how to make silk purses out of sow ears...

Can anyone increase the instruction days in schools? Can we have shorter summer breaks? Can we hold students back if they are not performing? Can acceleration happen for the children who need it? No? Then frankly this is not really impacting us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you're poorly informed. DC has a school voucher program that is a miserable failure. Most of the students go to schools that are almost entirely voucher-funded and there is no accredation or accountability process for these voucher schools. The state of these schools is extremely bad. Vouchers will not fix the public education challenges in our city or in our country.

They go to parochial schools that cost less than $10,000, many of which are Blue Ribbon schools where kids learn a great deal in a safe environment. What's wrong with that? PP, you sound like a DCPS troll.

+1.

I see this as the proverbial win/win.

Vouchers capped at around $10k and for low income families only should be a policy priority nationwide.

For example, those ESL students so many b*tch about would love to attend fine parochial schools, and those parochial schools would love to welcome them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you're poorly informed. DC has a school voucher program that is a miserable failure. Most of the students go to schools that are almost entirely voucher-funded and there is no accredation or accountability process for these voucher schools. The state of these schools is extremely bad. Vouchers will not fix the public education challenges in our city or in our country.

They go to parochial schools that cost less than $10,000, many of which are Blue Ribbon schools where kids learn a great deal in a safe environment. What's wrong with that? PP, you sound like a DCPS troll.

Really? Can you name some since folks on here will be needing to enroll their kids.

Also, you all need to become catholic.

BS, my lying friend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, Ashley Carter remembered not to log in this time!

LOL! I had to go get this.


The privatization movement is sickening.

This still makes me laugh, or cry since she was elected. I found out from my DD that DH, who didn't know any better, voted for her. Gah.

[Anonymous]

As worrisome as the voucher stuff is, the ramifications for pell grants and Title IX enforcement are bigger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vouchers won't work in DC. If there were a market for private schools that cost $10,000/year the schools would already exist.

It will help with tuition.

It will drive tuition costs up. A school that is $40,000 now will suddenly become $55,000 when there is a $15,000 voucher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an Indian Hindu immigrant who voted for Clinton. How will this impact my children? What happens when the standards of public education becomes very low and there is not much of a curriculum to speak of at school? What will happen if they start teaching the Bible at school?

To start with, any Indian I know is not really depending on the curriculum in this country to educate their child. We all have the parallel system of education going on where are children are being enriched as well as as participating in all possible competitions to gauge where they stand. So, here is an entire community who is already on plan B, and so we will continue to do so.

Christian education? I was educated in convent schools in India. Nuns in habits and all. It did not change my religious beliefs because Jesus became just one of the many Gods that we have and we fervently asked him and Ganesh for good grades. For me,"Bible" reading will be another subject that hopefully will allow them to answer a whole category of Jeopardy questions. They should bring on Torah and Koran and Gita too. Because we need to be able to see what the commonalities in religions are. And as an Indian parent focused on education - all knowledge is good.

Where does this or any education secretary leave us? Frankly, the education standard is so low in the US, that it does not matter to any of us. What can she or anyone do in 4 years? The education is in a downward death spiral here - this needs to be made amply clear to everyone here that having a country completely run by Republicans will not change that at all.

Achievement Gap will become bigger because Asians students are not really depending on US K-12 academic standards for their education. And unless they outsource the teaching to the teachers in India who know how to make silk purses out of sow ears...

Can anyone increase the instruction days in schools? Can we have shorter summer breaks? Can we hold students back if they are not performing? Can acceleration happen for the children who need it? No? Then frankly this is not really impacting us.

I find this very interesting. Frankly, I am not doing the same enrichment for my kids, though I compensate by sending them to an excellent private school. I agree that a culture of mediocrity is a problem. Can you share more about what you are doing in terms of enrichment and competition? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you're poorly informed. DC has a school voucher program that is a miserable failure. Most of the students go to schools that are almost entirely voucher-funded and there is no accredation or accountability process for these voucher schools. The state of these schools is extremely bad. Vouchers will not fix the public education challenges in our city or in our country.

They go to parochial schools that cost less than $10,000, many of which are Blue Ribbon schools where kids learn a great deal in a safe environment. What's wrong with that? PP, you sound like a DCPS troll.

Really? Can you name some since folks on here will be needing to enroll their kids.

Also, you all need to become catholic.

BS, my lying friend

The market will open up to accommodate the voucher amount. Waterside Academy is within the range, and no one gets beat up there. Parochial schools that went out of business will restart. There will be privates that are reasonably priced,and parochials. And no, you don't have to be Catholic to be in a parochial school; sometimes the majority aren't and never become Catholic -> check your prejudice.