Ed Sec Betsy DeVos Do Not Want Private and Charter Schools to Be Evaluated – Research into Washington Schools Shows Why

Facts for Them Just Interfere with Beliefs and Policy

After much prodding in her confirmation hearing Education Secretary Betsy (I hate public schools) DeVos admitted that private schools should not be held to the same standards as public schools.  Now a study of performance of students given vouchers for private schools in Washington D. C. shows why.

The D. C. study is important because it involved peer groups.  The study looked at students who had won lotteries to attend private schools compared to the students who wanted to attend but did not win the lotteries.  The results, not good for voucher advocates.

“The examination of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, the only federally funded voucher program in the country, by the department’s Institute of Education Sciences, found that students who attended a private school through the program performed worse on standardized tests than their public school counterparts who did not use the vouchers.

Among students who attended poor-performing public schools — the targets of this and other voucher programs — there was no significant effect on achievement.”

Ms. DeVos last week at Van Wert High School, a public school in Ohio. CreditMaddie McGarvey for The New York Times

Ed Sec DeVos Doing What She Does Best - Getting Her Picture Taken at a School

This study was small and isolated.  But it is part of what is becoming an increasing set of data points that show no, vouchers and private schools are not the answer.  As for their advocates, don’t expect them to change.  Their views are based on faith, not facts.