Get It Right

You know, I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but I can't wait 'till Xoff gets back. At least reading his junk is a bit more tolerable than what he's got going up there now.

The lead to today's post, "Sykes' 'soft bigotry of low expectations,'" boldly states, "Do voucher supporters want to know if these children are getting a good education?"

Maybe he should have read the whole article he links to there, because I wasn't getting the feel that the issue with this school was the quality of education within, but rather one of bad money management.

To be sure, the article explains, "In ordering L.E.A.D.E.R. out of the program, state officials cited financial insolvency, arguing that the school owes $497,822 for improperly cashed checks, improperly claimed summer school payments, past payroll payments and other debts." (Note: These financial problems seem to have occurred as a result of an unorthodox school schedule that has affected the payment of vouchers)

Yet, our friendly blogger Mr. H. Kane draws this stunning conclusion, "The next time Charlie Sykes talks about "standing in the schoolhouse door" he needs to take a look in the mirror, because it is he who is standing there letting the kids who need a quality education most enter the door of a failed school like L.E.A.D.E.R."

Now that's what I call a compelling line of argument. Is that the best they got? This is just getting boring.

Nowhere have I heard Mr. Sykes or any Republican argue against school standards. And, to say that those in favor of lifting the cap are opposed to school standards is to make a conclusion that is not based in fact. The two are not mutually exclusive, and to claim so is to be uninformed (actually, I think it's just a bad attempt at a straw man).

But, in case you don't believe me, read this. The reason Vukmir and Darling are asking for access to test scores is to ensure that the voucher schools are providing not just an education, but a comprehensive, competitive and quality education. And that is the heart of the Republican push for school choice.

And while Mr. Kane may cite 175 students who go to one school as a reason against lifting the cap, here are the real facts:

There's no question the program has been a boon to the city's underprivileged. A 2004 study of high school graduation rates by Jay Greene of the Manhattan Institute found that students using vouchers to attend Milwaukee's private schools had a graduation rate of 64%, versus 36% for their public school counterparts. Harvard's Caroline Hoxby has shown that Milwaukee public schools have raised their standards in the wake of voucher competition.

You can find that entire article at SYKES WRITES, in case you're wondering.

Maybe Kane should try again, tomorrow. Unless Xoff comes back early, that is.