The truth behind vouchers:
Research clearly shows that vouchers do not improve student achievement.
But in Milwaukee " home of the nation's first publicly funded voucher program " there are public schools that are helping all students reach new heights. They're called SAGE schools (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education).
When New Jersey voucher supporters fly parents to Milwaukee for carefully scripted tours of voucher schools, they never show them SAGE schools. Why not?
Here are some facts:
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Small classes make a difference: SAGE schools (K-5) feature classes of 15 students, based on the Tennessee STAR class size research project, which showed that small classes in the early elementary grades lead to greater student achievement in all subject areas.*
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Great teachers, and help where it is needed: SAGE schools, which receive additional state funding based on the number of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches, feature morning and after-school programs to provide students with extra help. Teachers in SAGE schools teach a rigorous curriculum, and receive excellent professional development support.
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Strong gains for African-American students: Annual evaluations of the SAGE program from 1997 to 2001 have shown that SAGE students consistently out-perform regular Milwaukee public school students. Particularly strong gains were made by African-American students in math, language arts, and total test scores.**
There is also encouraging news from New Jersey's Abbott districts, which receive funding for pre-school programs, class-size reduction, professional development and after-school programs - all hallmarks of the SAGE program:
- Between 1999 and 2002, Abbott 4th grade students gained 23.9 points on the ESPA test, compared to a 16.8 percent gain by non-Abbott students, closing the "achievement gap" significantly.***
NJEA Voucher Task Force, August 2003
*Evaluating the SAGE Program: A Pilot Program in Targeted Pupil-Teacher Reduction in Wisconsin, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Summer 1999, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 165-177, by Alex Molnar, Philip Smith, John Zahorik, Amanda Palmer, Anke Halbach, and Karen Ehrle, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
**1999-2000 Results of SAGE Program Evaluation, December 2000, Center for Education Research, Analysis, and Innovation, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
***Achievement data presented to the New Jersey Supreme Court, Education Law Center, Spring 2003