Serious Analysis of Education

Indiana's in the midst of a bitter dispute about education vouchers. Teachers unions are fighting tooth and nail, and the Democrats fled to Illinois for over a month to deny a quorum in a failed attempt to halt the legislation.

In the 32 years since I was a public school teacher, I've watched as schools have received massive increases in funding to solve the problem of declining student performance. Now at least our failing schools look terrific on the outside and teachers get a pretty sweet deal financially.

None of that has resulted in improving the outcomes for kids.

There are basically two solutions being put forward by the two political ideological sides. Democrats and the teacher unions suggest we just haven't given them enough money yet, or pretend there is no problem. Republicans push for voucher programs that let lower-income families escape the dysfunctional public school in favor of a quality education in a private or parochial school.

While clearly the teachers unions simply have a goal of keeping the status quo for their members - tenure, high salaries, free health insurance, and generous pensions - Republicans at least sincerely want to find a solution.

But are vouchers the right solution?

I'm not so sure.

I don't like the idea of government handing out money to private institutions of any kind. What the government subsidizes they also control. And I don't want any hint of government control in Catholic or Christian schools.

It's very easy to imagine the next step after vouchers are instituted, which will be couched under "educational standards". The government can and I think will impose strings to those voucher payments, beginning with a "tolerance" curriculum that glorifies immoral sexual behavior to elementary school children.

Another concern I have with this idea is in the area of capacity. Vouchers are nearly certain to create an overwhelming demand of families applying to get their children out of the unsafe and failing public school, but there's not enough capacity in the local private schools to accomodate them all.

So what criteria are used to select students that will get the priviledge of escaping the bad school? A lottery? Some sort of merit or need-based formula set by the state? Let the private school choose?

No matter what the method, there are two bad outcomes to this process: Government dictates which students are to be considered for enrollment at the private school, and deserving students will inevitably be left behind in the failing school.

And those failing public schools won't get better - they'll get even worse. Because the first students they lose will be those whose parents care enough to fight to get their children a better education. And that means the best students will be the first to take advantage of vouchers to escape the failing school.

As the private schools add capacity, they'll seek out the best teachers for their added classrooms. The best teachers are likely to accept a slightly smaller compensation package in return for better working conditions, which can be assumed to include better school administrators and better motivated, better behaved students.

Republicans suggest this will force the failing public school to change its ways or shut its doors. I agree that a failing school should be shuttered, but am having difficulty understanding what happens to the students during the school's waning days, and where the students go after it closes.

So the question becomes, what is the solution? Everything that's been done over the past 30 years has cost taxpayers too much and produced no apparent improvements, so if vouchers aren't the answer, what is?

Thinking through every conceivable option, I keep settling on this one:

Privatize.

Sounds kind of radical, I know. But if it's done right, it can be great for everyone.

Let private companies bid for the existing school facilities and a per-student rate. Let them advertise and attract students based on their individualized programs. Parents choose the school they think is best for their child based on location, curriculum, and results. Companies compete for students by offering great programs, whether in the sciences, arts, athletics, or whatever. The companies are licensed by the state based solely on fundamental academic curricula - no social, religious, or political agendas (except perhaps teaching violent jihad) will be considered in granting of licensing. Of course, these schools have to be open to any and all applicants, except violent offenders.

Put antitrust safeguards in place to make sure there is plenty of competition among education companies, and any company can open a school in the area as long as it meets licensing standards.