I have a question about NCLB-type voucher programs
When a student is given vouchers for private school because their public school "failed," does the private school have to be better than the school they left? Is there any assurance the private school would not fail the same standard? Or are we simply assuming it must be better because it's private?
Bush: Issue more vouchers
Gov. Jeb Bush is expected to propose offering private-school vouchers to students who have failed the reading part of the FCAT for three consecutive years.
TALLAHASSEE- Six years after creating the nation's first statewide school voucher program, Gov. Jeb Bush will this week propose a massive expansion of the use of vouchers, offering them to any student in Florida who has failed the state reading test for three years in a row.
The proposal will be part of a comprehensive package of K-12 education law changes that some are already calling ''A-plus-plus,'' or a sequel to the ambitious A+ Plan that was the centerpiece of Bush's 1998 campaign for governor.
The A+ Plan resulted in the expanded use of high-stakes testing as well as sanctions and rewards for schools depending on how their students scored.
Besides vouchers -- which allow eligible students to switch to private schools at state expense -- the governor's new proposal will allow schools to offer different levels of pay to teachers, including those who are needed for specific subjects such as science and math.
The bill will also push back the testing date of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT, to give students more time to learn.
''The overall goal of the legislation is to attract more teachers to the teaching profession and assist students in having academic success in the middle grades,'' said state Sen. Evelyn Lynn, an Ormond Beach Republican who has agreed to sponsor the bill on behalf of Bush.
The governor, who cannot seek reelection in November 2006 because of term limits, has made it clear he wants to protect his legacy of education reforms once he's no longer in office. Included in his to-do list is boosting reading scores, a goal that has already led to more money being spent on reading programs in schools and tax breaks for book purchases.
