The bottom line is our buildings are old, our space is limited, and we'll have to address that at some point. But Paige also has drawn criticism. In 1996, he created a program that allowed students from overcrowded city schools to attend private, secular schools at school district expense. Critics labeled it a voucher program. Paige's initiative to evaluate school administrators' performance based on their students' performance on statewide tests also drew fire.
Critics say it encourages teachers to teach the tests rather than a substantive curriculum.
This morning on Capitol Hill, Roderick Paige was questioned on those and other issues as he began the confirmation process with a hearing before the Senate's Labor and Education Committee. I am a passionate promoter of public education. Paige went on to explain that partial payment of private school tuition is only part of providing a choice in Houston's school system. I do believe in parental choice, and I think that parental choice is a necessary condition to effective public education. But choice has many forms.