Why McCain's voucher remark fell flat

[antigop]

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/beyond/2008/10/why-mccains-voucher-remark-fel.html

“Because there’s not enough vouchers; therefore, we shouldn’t do it, even though it’s working. I got it,” McCain said, laughing with delight. Obama stared down and scribbled notes, ignoring him.

It wasn’t McCain’s best moment in the debate, and not just because no one laughed with him. (The audience had been instructed to stay quiet, so most jokes would fall flat.) The bigger problem was that, according to the Department of Education’s own evaluation, the District of Columbia school voucher program actually isn’t working.

The June 2007 report found that there were “no statistically significant” gains in reading or math scores in the first year for students who participated in the program.

McCain’s main point was that the lack of resources to run a program nationwide is no reason not to run a smaller program. But here’s a rule of thumb for sarcasm in debates: It doesn’t usually help you, but if you’re going to use it, make sure you’ve done your research first.

Link to the June 2007 report:http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pdf/20074010.pdf

[FrenchieCat]

1. Important information.

[Miss Chybil]

2. My thought is, if DC schools are failing miserably, instead of giving a "good " education to a few

by some sort of lottery, why not fix the whole school system? Hey, we can spend billions in Iraq...

[antigop]

3. I agree -- you fix the WHOLE system... n/t

[Essene]

4. the voucher debate has been dead for years... here is why

1. the charter school and accountability movement basically eradicated the voucher arguments

2. nclb requires failing schools to be shut down and for districts to hold schools accountable

3. school choice is exploding everywhere and the arguments for vouchers are dead

4. many former voucher advocates realize now that it undermines public accountability, because private schools simply dont have to BE accountable for results as long as parents keep going there and also because many voucher schools have become increasingly under pressure to show results with those funds (i.e. the church and state issue gets fuzzy when the govt eventually starts getting in the church's business, so the churches want no more part of this... if you see my point)

only real laissez fair types are still maknig the voucher arguments.