States can opt out of the Trump school voucher scam
In the online talk about the Trump/MAGA voucher scam (officially the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit or Education Freedom Tax Credit) it’s rarely noted that states can opt out. Which Minnesota has, for 2027, though the majority of states are in. This, from Ballotpedia, has it all, on what this is about and what states are doing.
Voucher programs have been a disgraceful disaster, essentially an effort to prop up private schools – especially religious ones, in an increasingly non-traditionally religious society – at the expense of the public schools that the vast majority of American young people attend. They’re a key part of the school privatization agenda.
I (Diane Ravitch) invited Josh to explain his views for my blog, and he graciously accepted. I consider this piece to be one of the most important statements I have posted in the decade this blog has been live. Please note two points he makes:
One, vouchers harm the children who leave public schools to use them.
Two, most of the early voucher research was conducted by researchers who were partisan supporters of vouchers.
Josh Cowen writes…
School vouchers have devastating effects on student outcomes. Full stop. That’s something even the nation’s voucher advocate-in-chief Betsy DeVos has had to admit, because the data are so stark.
(National Education Policy Center)
Will Gov-elect Amy Klobuchar maintain Minnesota’s principled, reality-based refusal to participate? Voucher programs are not popular; no plan for one that has been subjected to a statewide voter referendum has passed. And AKlo rarely, very rarely indeed, takes anything other than the most politically safe approach. So I’m pretty confident. But never totally. And that doesn’t change the fact that the majority of states, including some run by Democrats, are buying into this BS.
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