Jeff Frenkiewicz teaches U.S. history and government at Milford Middle School. He is an adjunct professor of education at the University of New Hampshire. The views expressed here represent those of the author and not of the Milford School District or his UNH.
On February 8, the New Hampshire House proposed HB 1665, a bill that would increase the income threshold for households receiving education vouchers from 350% of the poverty level to 500% of the poverty level. Supporters of school vouchers argue that diverting public funds to individual families creates the “best form of accountability,” and that vouchers allow marginalized children to receive an education that best meets their needs. It claims to provide a means to receive it. “We're going to help every child in New Hampshire get the best education possible,” Republican state Rep. Glenn Cordery said of the bill.
The 2021 predecessor bill, and a recent high court ruling that found the New Hampshire Legislature had failed in its constitutional duty to provide “basic sufficiency” in education, would require all schools in the state to This should make people question how their elected officials define “the best education.” What should “appropriate education” include? How do school vouchers support these goals in this context?
When judging the value of education policies, we often focus on student achievement. In this regard, it is clear that vouchers are ineffective in supporting the goal of 'basic adequacy'. In a 2018 study, the Center for American Progress estimated that students who received vouchers were missing out on opportunities equivalent to “more than one-third of their annual classroom learning.” A study by the conservative Fordham Institute found that students who attend private schools using vouchers perform worse academically than their public school counterparts. Studies conducted in Washington, D.C., Indiana, Louisiana, and Ohio all found that school vouchers hurt student achievement. In short, voucher laws in other states have not improved student achievement, and it would be foolish to expect different results here in New Hampshire. Policies that undermine student achievement certainly do not provide the “best education.”
While student academic performance is important, we also need to look at how school vouchers impact the community as a whole. Here we must consider the role that public schools play in building communities and preparing children for citizenship in the Republic. Great Americans throughout history, from Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin to 19th-century religious reformer Horace Mann and 20th-century philosopher John Dewey, have relied on public schools to support democracy. We have clearly stated the important role played by They recognize the divisions that threaten to tear our country apart, build communities, bring together diverse voices, build common values, and equip children with the civil debate skills necessary for citizenship. He promoted a common school education system that served as a means to enable learning. In our democracy.
In contrast, school vouchers promote segregated societies, allowing parents to isolate their children from more diverse communities, and leaving children less likely to practice the citizenship skills described above. In fact, America's first school vouchers, the so-called “freedom of choice plans,” were distributed in the years following the Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. States such as Virginia and Alabama have instituted voucher programs that allow white families to withdraw their children from desegregated schools. I'm not saying New Hampshire's current law was created with the same intent, and I don't mean to imply that, but it is intended to divide society and deny our children the common school experience that our founders desired. In this respect, this law is equally dangerous. .
Without a doubt, New Hampshire's public schools have failed many students, but the values underlying our public school system are sound. Rather than dissecting and cutting funding to the educational institutions that serve as the backbone of our democracy, we should look to improve schools to meet the needs of all students.
The challenge of meeting the needs of all students cannot be met with a plan that segregates society and siphons $24 million from public schools. The challenge of providing the “best education” for all students cannot be met with plans that lack accountability and strip communities of the power to determine school curriculum and control how education funds are spent. Rather, these problems are addressed by policies that identify inequalities within the system and devise solutions that satisfy all members of the community through democratic means. New Hampshire's “educational freedom claim” is failing to provide our children with the “best possible education,” not even an adequate education, and is totally detrimental to our democracy.
