Re: [Phys-L] Private schools

[John Mallinckrodt <ajm@csupomona.edu>]

I have long toyed with a voucher system that works SOMETHING like this:  

Give EVERY parent a voucher worth what we decide as a people we are willing to pay for one year of education at each level.  Those vouchers could be accepted ONLY by schools that agree to live by a number of rules including 

1) The voucher must be accepted as payment in full.

2) The school must take students on a first come, first served basis and the school must accept a set of strict rules governing expulsion.

3) The school must comply with all federal and state guidelines applicable to public schools (e.g., regarding handicapped students, Title IX, testing, etc.)

In this model, there would be no real distinction between "public" and "voucher-accepting private" schools.  All such schools would be in competition, but the intent is to insure that that competition would be carried out on a level playing field.  

There are clearly flaws in this model and I would be interested in hearing criticisms and/or suggestions for improvement.  (I'm equally sure that there will be criticism based on the whole idea of creating a level playing field, but I'm unlikely to be moved by them!)

John Mallinckrodt
Cal Poly Pomona

On Jul 10, 2012, at 1:02 PM, LaMontagne, Bob wrote:

> Why would you not extend it to "anyone"? The idea of a voucher system is that every stakeholder has the ability to vote with their feet. I would assume that every school (public, private, charter, magnet, etc.) would have certain minimum state mandated standards relating to content, number of meeting days, number of contact hours, etc. - but after that I would hope that it is up to the parents to determine where their child is to attempt to attend. ...