In November, citizens in many states will not only elect, but also decide important policy issues. This exercise in democracy often invites politically-driven activist judges to undo these measures, not because they are unconstitutional, but because the judges just don't like what the people have done. The school voucher proposal on the Michigan ballot, however, aims at addressing both the opportunity for democracy and the judicial threat at the same time.
School vouchers are good educational policy.
Harvard professor Paul Peterson studied voucher programs in three cities and found that not only did test scores improve for those using vouchers to switch from public to private schools, but this benefit was particularly strong for black students. Harvard professor Caroline Hoxby earlier found that using vouchers to find a better education improved test scores, the probability of college education, and future income. Nearly two-thirds of Florida's public school teachers say vouchers help prod public education reform. In 1998, the Buckeye Institute similarly found that educational competition between public and private schools contributes to better public school performance. Little wonder, then, that the Portrait of America poll by Rasmussen Research found that nearly 60 per cent of public school parents favor vouchers and more than 40 per cent actually say that private schools are best for their children.