Florida Teachers Concede Vouchers Spurred Improvement

**Florida Teachers Concede Vouchers Spurred Improvement**
**Chris Prawdzik**
Public school teachers don't like school vouchers – but they grudgingly admit that the possibility or threat of vouchers this year helped cause a dramatic improvement in test scores at some of Florida's worst schools. This is the finding of a recent survey sent to more than 750 Florida public school teachers selected at random by Teacher Choice, a group of educators that tries to expand choices for teachers and parents around the country. Of the respondents expressing an opinion 65 percent said Florida's A+ Plan for Education played a "minor" or "major" role in education changes. Only 17 percent said it played "no role" at all, and 16 percent expressed no opinion. "I believe the policy played a role in the schools putting extra effort into remediating the students through the use of various strategies," said a second-grade teacher from Palm Beach County. Linda Albury, a resource teacher for the disabled in elementary schools in Seminole County also admitted the incentives in the A+ Plan played some role. "[O]ur reading teacher and others helped students by giving extra tutoring in the targeted areas," she said. But Albury was not quick to credit the voucher component of the program. "I do not think the voucher program helps address the needs of all students," she said. The A+ Plan for Education would have sponsored parents who wanted to send their children to private schools in districts where the public schools again failed all three tests. But this year, all the more than 100 schools that might have qualified for this parental choice program upgraded their performance sufficiently and the opportunity scholarships won't apply. Proponents of vouchers say many of the schools were able to improve only through a concerted, almost frantic effort to improve test scores, particularly in writing. Teachers in the survey, while disliking the voucher approach, apparently agree: Almost 93 percent said they were aware of special efforts at their schools or neighboring ones to upgrade scores. But the reluctant respect for parental choice does not mean teachers in the survey favor vouchers as a public policy option. In fact, 71 percent of teachers in the survey said they oppose voucher plans – at approximately the same rate, or a little higher, as they do nationally. "As far as I know, the voucher program has been tried numerous times during this country's educational history," Lora Dunham a second-grade teacher in Pinellas County said. "Each time it was not successful." Some teachers say they not only oppose the voucher plan, which has been strongly supported by Governor Jeb Bush, but doubt it played much of a role in this year's improvement. Maggie Poling was adamant: "As far as the "voucher" system goes, it had nothing to do with what we have done toward reading," she said. If the teachers who say the voucher possibility helped increase scores are right, it would help demonstrate something voucher proponents have long claimed – that school choice helps not only the few students who may change schools when given the option, but all students in the system, by forcing schools to compete and adapt to provide the kind of education families want. "The Florida results, according to public teachers, seem to show that the mere possibility of choice helps public schools," commented Gregory Fossedal, chairman of the Alexis de Tocuqeville Institution research foundation that sponsored the survey. Differences arise primarily in the interpretation and mission of the A+ program as a whole. Opponents insist – as they did in the survey – that items within the program are designed to destroy public schools, whether by holding up to scrutiny the school for its students' performances, or by taking students (and money) away from the schools through vouchers. What is rarely acknowledged, but as many opponents actually did through the survey, is that by virtue of the plan, teachers, students and entire schools increased the efforts to improve themselves. But a misunderstanding of the mission of the A+ program among the same opponents is where the conflict lies. Many teachers are convinced that choice is designed to destroy the schools. But in reality – as is proven in Florida – the mission of the A+ program is to improve education for all students. And that?s what apparently has been done. Other teacher comments: "I think many teachers need a jolt to wake up to the real threat of losing their jobs because the school is losing it's student because of low performance" – Aubrey Campbell, researcher at public schools in Miami-Dade County. "I support vouchers mainly because I believe in a democratic society where all should have a choice." – A teacher from Volusia County, who wished not to be identified. "I don?t support vouchers. I feel if parents got involved in their failing school and working with their children, schools wouldn't fail in the first place." – Susan Farmer, eighth-grade history teacher in Hillsborough County.

Public school teachers don't like school vouchers – but they grudgingly admit that the possibility or threat of vouchers this year helped cause a dramatic improvement in test scores at some of Florida's worst schools.

This is the finding of a recent survey sent to more than 750 Florida public school teachers selected at random by Teacher Choice, a group of educators that tries to expand choices for teachers and parents around the country.

Of the respondents expressing an opinion 65 percent said Florida's A+ Plan for Education played a "minor" or "major" role in education changes. Only 17 percent said it played "no role" at all, and 16 percent expressed no opinion.

"I believe the policy played a role in the schools putting extra effort into remediating the students through the use of various strategies," said a second-grade teacher from Palm Beach County.

Linda Albury, a resource teacher for the disabled in elementary schools in Seminole County also admitted the incentives in the A+ Plan played some role. "[O]ur reading teacher and others helped students by giving extra tutoring in the targeted areas," she said. But Albury was not quick to credit the voucher component of the program. "I do not think the voucher program helps address the needs of all students," she said.

The A+ Plan for Education would have sponsored parents who wanted to send their children to private schools in districts where the public schools again failed all three tests. But this year, all the more than 100 schools that might have qualified for this parental choice program upgraded their performance sufficiently and the opportunity scholarships won't apply.

Proponents of vouchers say many of the schools were able to improve only through a concerted, almost frantic effort to improve test scores, particularly in writing. Teachers in the survey, while disliking the voucher approach, apparently agree: Almost 93 percent said they were aware of special efforts at their schools or neighboring ones to upgrade scores.

But the reluctant respect for parental choice does not mean teachers in the survey favor vouchers as a public policy option. In fact, 71 percent of teachers in the survey said they oppose voucher plans – at approximately the same rate, or a little higher, as they do nationally.

"As far as I know, the voucher program has been tried numerous times during this country's educational history," Lora Dunham a second-grade teacher in Pinellas County said. "Each time it was not successful."

Some teachers say they not only oppose the voucher plan, which has been strongly supported by Governor Jeb Bush, but doubt it played much of a role in this year's improvement.

Maggie Poling was adamant: "As far as the "voucher" system goes, it had nothing to do with what we have done toward reading," she said.

If the teachers who say the voucher possibility helped increase scores are right, it would help demonstrate something voucher proponents have long claimed – that school choice helps not only the few students who may change schools when given the option, but all students in the system, by forcing schools to compete and adapt to provide the kind of education families want.

"The Florida results, according to public teachers, seem to show that the mere possibility of choice helps public schools," commented Gregory Fossedal, chairman of the Alexis de Tocuqeville Institution research foundation that sponsored the survey.

Differences arise primarily in the interpretation and mission of the A+ program as a whole. Opponents insist – as they did in the survey – that items within the program are designed to destroy public schools, whether by holding up to scrutiny the school for its students' performances, or by taking students (and money) away from the schools through vouchers.

What is rarely acknowledged, but as many opponents actually did through the survey, is that by virtue of the plan, teachers, students and entire schools increased the efforts to improve themselves. But a misunderstanding of the mission of the A+ program among the same opponents is where the conflict lies. Many teachers are convinced that choice is designed to destroy the schools. But in reality – as is proven in Florida – the mission of the A+ program is to improve education for all students. And that?s what apparently has been done.

Other teacher comments:

"I think many teachers need a jolt to wake up to the real threat of losing their jobs because the school is losing it's student because of low performance" – Aubrey Campbell, researcher at public schools in Miami-Dade County.

"I support vouchers mainly because I believe in a democratic society where all should have a choice." – A teacher from Volusia County, who wished not to be identified.

"I don?t support vouchers. I feel if parents got involved in their failing school and working with their children, schools wouldn't fail in the first place." – Susan Farmer, eighth-grade history teacher in Hillsborough County.