The Center's report is designed to facilitate an open dialogue about voucher programs among people with opposing views. The Center convened a diverse panel that included prominent opponents and proponents of vouchers. This panel of researchers, representatives of public, private, and religious school groups and foundation officials reviewed voucher programs in Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Florida, as well as in countries around the world. Despite the hardening positions on public school vouchers, the Center found that the research on voucher programs is inconclusive and is limited by significant gaps in assessments. The report shows that the fundamental challenge facing policy-makers and education officials is to address the gaps in our understanding of current voucher programs and begin to answer the unresolved questions.
Teachers are ill prepared.
Schools have too many administrators. Businesses are more efficient. Schools used to be better. Marlowe examines each of the arguments in his article and concludes that the answers are, not much and not very. A lot less than the critics charge.