Regarding the April 28 story in The Herald, “D.C. school voucher program reveals lower math-test results”: Although a grass-roots rebellion continues to spread against massive over-testing of students as a result of federal mandates and Common Core, lower-than-expected test scores for any cohort of students using private-choice vouchers will generate headlines and editorials bashing education choice.
That is the case with disappointing math scores recently posted for federal voucher students in Washington, D.C.
Perhaps the time has come to point out that a school’s value is not reducible to one set of testing data. School-choice advocates can point to dozens of valid studies that show strong test performance for voucher students, but they, too, may have stressed the testing side too much.
Parents take many factors other than tests into account in searching for the best schools for their children. Safety is an important consideration, along with moral values and sound disciplinary rules.
It is no small thing that the latest research shows that D.C. voucher families feel safe in their schools and express a high level of satisfaction with them. The quality of education in the nation’s capital would not improve if suddenly these parents had no choice but to return their children to public schools in which they lack confidence.
Robert Holland
The Heartland Institute
Arlington Heights, Illinois
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