School choice in Utah

The most important debate on education in North Dakota may not be unfolding in
North Dakota at all.  

Instead, that debate may be happening in Utah, which last month became the first
state to enact a universal school voucher bill.

The plan will give up to $3,000 to public-school students to use for tuition at
private schools. "The vouchers will be open to any of Utah's 512,000 public
school students," CNN reported. "The amount will depend on family income, but
even affluent families would be eligible for at least $500 per child. Students
already in private schools would not be eligible."

Here's a link to a cached version of the CNN story:

www.google.com/search?q=cache:JEC5tANid6AJ:www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/02/12/
utah.vouchers.ap/index.html+utah+vouchers&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

In North Dakota, lawmakers about about to pass a school-finance "equity" bill
and will then move on to debate, over the next few years, education "adequacy."

But watch Utah.  If the school-choice program there survives a public referendum and
goes on to boost Utah students' test scores and other results -- two very big
"ifs" -- then North Dakota can expect voucher advocates to claim, "Look, why
don't we cut the Gordian know of equity and adequacy by just giving voucher
money to parents?  That way, they can spend the money on whichever schools they
see fit."

Utah is an important test case, because it has a great many public schools in
rural areas -- so, we'll be able to see whether private schools arise in those
areas to give parents a realistic choice.  

It'll be a very important case study, both for the nation as a whole and the
individual states.

Posted by: tdennis on 3/17/2007 at 6:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink