I was reading an interesting article on the implementation of voucher systems in Louisiana called "Louisiana's Voucher System Grows" this morning, and I must say that I'm rather torn in my opinion of this strategy. As a parent of three myself, I know the concern of parents wanting the best opportunities for their children. Voucher systems allow students from poorly performing schools to attend high performing private schools that they would normally not have access to. What parent wouldn't take advantage of such a great opportunity for their children if given the chance?? I absolutely get that.
As a teacher, though, my concern is for those students who are left behind at those low-performing schools. Instead of utilizing funds to send SOME students to private schools, why not use those same funds to improve the neighborhood public schools, so that ALL students can benefit. Why not observe the teaching strategies and tools used in those private, high performing schools and implement them in public neighborhood schools. I understand that it would be expensive to provide all neighborhood schools with all the bells and whistles that the private schools have, but I don't think that the whole of academic achievement depends on what kind of gadgets a school has. Parents, teachers, and communities make all the difference in how much a student achieves. I mean, people DID learn and become innovators and inventors without smartboards and ipads in the past, for goodness sakes.
Legislators and educators seem to be focusing on the wrong issue, in my opinion. The focus should be on developing a relevant curriculum, getting and keeping qualified and caring teachers in the classroom, and getting the parents and community more involved. When students are encouraged and expected to achieve, they will- especially if that motivation and expectation is consistent from a young age. Just my humble opinion, though...
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