Remediation and Vouchers
Sen. Howard Stephenson has come up with a very interesting idea. In order to receive a graduation diploma, Utah high school students now are required to pass the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test (UBSCT). Many of our students are not passing. Therefore, the State Office of Education is requesting $6.1 million for remedial education. Senator Stephenson suggests that the remediation money should be in the form of a voucher, payable to a public or private program upon successful completion of the UBSCT. Here is a D-News editorial on the proposal.
Though details would have to be worked out, I favor this concept.
Though details would have to be worked out, I favor this concept.
posted by steve u. at 10/03/2005
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7 Comments:
I agree with allowing parents to choose a program that best meets the needs of their children as long as the outcome is satisfactory. Outsourcing some of the problem would alleviate pressures on the public system and would invite a fresh look at effective treatments.
I can't help wondering what would happen if we had the members of the State Legislature take the tests we propose for school children. Post the results on the Net and roll back to simple citizen any legislator who fails them.
Cap'n, when you look at some of the legislation we propose, do you really have to wonder how we'd fare on such a test?
Capt: A legislator and members of the education community did take the test, and have posted their results. (See http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,605153445,00.html.)
Yes, this doesn't cover all of our legislators, but it is an interesting glimpse.
This proposal sounds good to me. Why don't we do it for all education. But I am will to start with this "foot-in-the-door" legislation too.
Steve, I don't see your score on the list provided by the D-News. Come on, you can share it with us. We won't laugh. 8)
We do have to be careful with "vouchers" in that they don't become welfare payments as some do.
While Howard often has some ideas (sometimes they are ok), I don't consider him to be THE expert on education. He often does have ulterior motives as do others such as Mr. Buttars. I don't regard Rocky Anderson as my source for what's going on in the Democratic party or the ACLU as the expert on the LDS people either.
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