I've been "energetically discussing" the latest study of private and public schools on the phone with my buddy, Suze. I thought I would put the discussion up on the blog and let everyone get in on the fight.
According to the Times, "The Education Department reported on Friday that children in public schools generally performed as well or better in reading and mathematics than comparable children in private schools. The exception was in eighth-grade reading, where the private school counterparts fared better."
This test controlled for race and income, unlike previous studies of this kind.
Elizabeth notes that the Deptartment of Education put the findings out on a Friday afternoon in July. She also points out that these findings complicate things for voucher advocates, which is exactly what Suze and I were talking about.
I am not all that surprised by these findings. Even the most gung-ho voucher researchers haven't really been able to show that voucher students improve their test scores after attending a private school. Maybe there are some slight up ticks in some selection situations, but nothing to write home about.
But test scores may not tell the whole story. Maybe kids benefit in some other ways not measured by test scores. Do they gain certain connections that help them later in life? Do the private schools have better college placement? Do the parents perceive their children to be safer in private schools, because safety is a major reason that parents choose private schools in poorer neighborhoods?
One of the major finding that has come out of the studies of private and public schools by the voucher advocates is that parents of voucher students are very, very, very happy. They are happy that they had a choice, and they are pleased with their schools for reasons that may have nothing to do with test scores.
Should contentment matter, too?
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