Education

antigop

(12,778 posts) Thu Apr 12, 2012, 10:31 AM Apr 2012

WSJ: School Vouchers Gain Ground

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303624004577338131609745296.html

Louisiana is poised to establish the nation's most expansive system of school choice by adopting a package of vouchers and other tools that would give many parents control over the use of tax dollars to educate their children.

The initiative would effectively redefine vouchers, which have typically helped lower-income public-school students pay for private schools. Vouchers could now also be used by students to pay for state-approved apprenticeships at local businesses, as well as college courses and private online classes, while they are still in public schools.

The legislation would also pave the way for the rapid growth of charter schools—public schools run by nongovernment entities—and make Louisiana one of a handful of states to adopt a "parent trigger" provision, letting parents vote to convert their low-performing schools into charters. Louisiana's legislature passed the sweeping education package last week, and Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Republican architect of the overhaul, hopes to sign it into law next week, said a spokesman.

1 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

WSJ: School Vouchers Gain Ground (Original Post) antigop Apr 2012 OP

I know the downsides of vouchers exboyfil Apr 2012 #1

exboyfil

(17,865 posts)

1. I know the downsides of vouchers

Reply to antigop (Original post)

Thu Apr 12, 2012, 12:07 PM

Apr 2012

but school choice would be nice. I have paid for a number of classes for my two daughters fro various reasons. I have found the teachers to be a hit or miss lot in the public school system. My older daughter has taken the brunt of bad teachers as I have used her experience to guide my younger daughter (avoiding classes with bad teachers as much as possible).

My older 10th grade daughter plans to use the Post Secondary Education Opportunity as much as possible in her next two years. It looks like she will not have a single core class at the High School after this year (Junior Social Studies done through online, already completed Math and Science requirements, and using Journalism credit to satisfy English credit). I am going to have to pay for three college classes that have AP equivalents, and then my daughter is working on completing her Freshman year of Engineering while in High School by PSEO which is paid for by the local school district.

AP classes really don't work very well for the University that my daughter wants to attend. The Community College/local University is a much better approach.

Reply to this discussion