Education vouchers are designed to give options to students from low income families that attend low performing public schools. School voucher programs grant the families of these students a government issued certificate that can be used on a private education. By giving families more choice about where children attend school, the reasoning is that students would not attend underperforming schools, meaning that these schools would need to revise their practices or shut down. The larger goal of this system is to change the education system in the United States to a free market economy with the ultimate goal of privatization of schools.
When used on a parochial schools, education vouchers result in public money going to religious institutions. This is a controversial topic that has many legal and social ramifications.
Education Vouchers in Wisconsin and St. Anthony School of Milwaukee
In 1998, the Wisconsin Supreme Court made Wisconsin the first state in the United States to allow low-income families to use publicly funded vouchers to pay for education at religious institutions. At that time, St. Anthony School of Milwaukee was a small school with fewer than 300 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. In the fall of 1998, 198 students enrolled at St. Anthony through the state voucher program. The number of students that attended St. Anthony through vouchers increased steadily through the 90's. By 2002, 356 students utilized vouchers to enroll. This number increased to 795 by 2005.
Currently, St. Anthony School serves roughly 1,000 students with all but a handful of the students attending through the voucher program. The school has more voucher students than any other institution in the state of Wisconsin. For each student that attends St. Anthony through the program, the school receives $6,351 from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, meaning that St. Anthony gets $6.2 million per year as a result of its voucher students.
Currently, St. Anthony School serves roughly 1,000 students with all but a handful of the students attending through the voucher program. The school has more voucher students than any other institution in the state of Wisconsin. For each student that attends St. Anthony through the program, the school receives $6,351 from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, meaning that St. Anthony gets $6.2 million per year as a result of its voucher students.
Article 1: Praised Be Vouchers? Milwukee's St. Anthony School Passes The Plate To Wisconsin Taxpayers
This article is an editorial by Lauren Smith published on the website of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. It addresses the use of public funds for school vouchers redeemed at religious institutions, specifically St. Anthony School in Milwaukee, WI. Smith claims that the school voucher system is ineffective and that voucher students are no better off than their public school counterparts. She also stresses that, regardless of test scores and the success of the program, school vouchers pose a threat to the separation of church and state when used at religious institutions. The way the article is presented, it is clear from the start that it is an opinion piece that reflects the views of the author.
Who is represented?
St. Anthony School
quotes from the school website and the school president, Terry Brown
University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform
reference to a study showing that voucher students are outperformed by students in public schools
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
quotes from Alan Borsuk's article Changes at St. Anthony Make It a School to Watch
Who is excluded?
Teachers, parents, and students of St. Anthony School, legislators, lobbyists, and proponents of using education vouchers to attend religious schools
What is left out from the discussion?
First and foremost, the author fails to mention that the United States Supreme Court has already weighed in on the issue of using school vouchers to attend religious institutions in the case of Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. While a Supreme Court ruling does not mean that the discussion of the matter is closed, the fact that there has been a case discussing the very issue Smith discusses in her article is pertinent information.
Additionally, Smith uses a study conducted by the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform that compares voucher students to public school students to insinuate that students who use vouchers to attend St. Anthony are no better off than they would be in public schools. The study shows that voucher students perform at the same academic level as students in public schools, yet Smith fails to mention that 95% of the students from St. Anthony come from families where Spanish is primarily spoken.
Finally, much of the article focuses on the indoctrination of students at St. Anthony, taking quotes from the school website about the Catholic mission of the school and discussing the routine of greeting visitors to a classroom with "Praised be Jesus Christ," to which the visitor responds "Now and forever." Still, there is no mention of how the students or parents from the community feel about these practices. Smith mentions that, while the vast majority of students at St. Anthony are Catholic, there "is a handful of students, including one Muslim, who are not." She does not however discuss how the school accommodates for students of other religions.
What ideologies are used to construct the arguments?
In order to address this question fully, I must first define what an ideology is in the context of the discussions on this blog.
ideology: a set of beliefs and values that we take up as normal
Much of this article discusses how taxpayer dollars are being used to "pay for religious education, indoctrination, and discrimination." The author believes that this is a "serious threat to church-state separation."
One of the more prominent ideologies present in the article is that of adultism. Whenever Smith mentions the religious indoctrination that goes on at St. Anthony, she makes sure that the students come across as drones that mindlessly follow routines designed to ingrain in them the Catholic doctrine. There is never any mention or even hinting at the possibility that students are able to form their own beliefs through questioning, learning, and even having discussions with their parents or mentors.
Another ideology that is evident in this article is that knowledge is best measured by standardized tests. The only measure Smith gives of the success or failure of St. Anthony is the fact that their test scores are on par with those of public school students and that they "perform dismally" in math. While the second article suggests that much of the instruction at St. Anthony is direct instruction, a method that may be more geared to standardized tests, there are still many other ways to measure students' learning.
Who is represented?
St. Anthony School
quotes from the school website and the school president, Terry Brown
University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform
reference to a study showing that voucher students are outperformed by students in public schools
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
quotes from Alan Borsuk's article Changes at St. Anthony Make It a School to Watch
Who is excluded?
Teachers, parents, and students of St. Anthony School, legislators, lobbyists, and proponents of using education vouchers to attend religious schools
What is left out from the discussion?
First and foremost, the author fails to mention that the United States Supreme Court has already weighed in on the issue of using school vouchers to attend religious institutions in the case of Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. While a Supreme Court ruling does not mean that the discussion of the matter is closed, the fact that there has been a case discussing the very issue Smith discusses in her article is pertinent information.
Additionally, Smith uses a study conducted by the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform that compares voucher students to public school students to insinuate that students who use vouchers to attend St. Anthony are no better off than they would be in public schools. The study shows that voucher students perform at the same academic level as students in public schools, yet Smith fails to mention that 95% of the students from St. Anthony come from families where Spanish is primarily spoken.
Finally, much of the article focuses on the indoctrination of students at St. Anthony, taking quotes from the school website about the Catholic mission of the school and discussing the routine of greeting visitors to a classroom with "Praised be Jesus Christ," to which the visitor responds "Now and forever." Still, there is no mention of how the students or parents from the community feel about these practices. Smith mentions that, while the vast majority of students at St. Anthony are Catholic, there "is a handful of students, including one Muslim, who are not." She does not however discuss how the school accommodates for students of other religions.
What ideologies are used to construct the arguments?
In order to address this question fully, I must first define what an ideology is in the context of the discussions on this blog.
ideology: a set of beliefs and values that we take up as normal
Much of this article discusses how taxpayer dollars are being used to "pay for religious education, indoctrination, and discrimination." The author believes that this is a "serious threat to church-state separation."
One of the more prominent ideologies present in the article is that of adultism. Whenever Smith mentions the religious indoctrination that goes on at St. Anthony, she makes sure that the students come across as drones that mindlessly follow routines designed to ingrain in them the Catholic doctrine. There is never any mention or even hinting at the possibility that students are able to form their own beliefs through questioning, learning, and even having discussions with their parents or mentors.
Another ideology that is evident in this article is that knowledge is best measured by standardized tests. The only measure Smith gives of the success or failure of St. Anthony is the fact that their test scores are on par with those of public school students and that they "perform dismally" in math. While the second article suggests that much of the instruction at St. Anthony is direct instruction, a method that may be more geared to standardized tests, there are still many other ways to measure students' learning.
Article 2: Changes at St. Anthony Make It a School to Watch
This article is a profile of St. Anthony School written by Alan Borsuk and published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It discusses the history of the school, how education vouchers have affected St. Anthony, the class climate at St. Anthony, and how the school addresses religion. The article is presented as being a factual piece documenting why St. Anthony is particularly noteworthy among the elementary and middle schools of Milwaukee, particularly religious ones.
Who is represented?
St. Anthony School
quotes from president Terry Brown, fourth-grade teacher Jeanne Barbatti, fifth-grade teacher Jenni Madden, third-grade teacher Mary Budiac, principal Ramon Cruz, fifth-grader Daysi Ojeda, and eighth-grader Tyler Do
Who is excluded?
St. Anthony School parents, legislators, lobbyists, and opponents of using education vouchers to attend religious schools
What is left out from the discussion?
The most glaring omission in this article is a discussion of the low test scores by students who attend St. Anthony. Sandwiched between a quote by Terry Brown, the school president, where he claims that they "want to be the model Catholic grade school in the nation" and a comment by the author, Borsuk, saying that the school might not have much of a track record but "the track it is building is eye-catching," is a brief mention that St. Anthony students test below the 50th percentile nationally. The information about test scores is quite relevant, yet is simply glossed over in this article.
The article also fails to address that there is any controversy over the utilization of education vouchers, let alone using them on parochial education. It costs more to educate a voucher student than a public school student and the difference is made up by increased property taxes on Milwaukee residents.
Lastly, the article does not include parents of St. Anthony students in the discussion about the success of the school. There are multiple quotes from classroom teachers at the school regarding instruction and how well behaved the students are and there are two quotes from St. Anthony students about their opinions of the school (one student discusses how much she enjoys the religious aspect of the school is and another talks about how much he needs to pay attention in class). The president and principal of the school are each quoted, but there is no mention of parents or other family members anywhere in the article. This omission gives the impression that St. Anthony parents are not involved in the education of their children and that the school is "saving" students.
What ideologies are used to construct the arguments?
One ideology that surfaced most often in this article was that direct instruction is the best way of teaching. The author notes the "learning posture" encouraged by the school, discusses how the classrooms he viewed were all incredibly quiet as the teacher lectured, and is impressed with education being addressed as "a serious matter." There is no questioning of these practices and how well they work, especially considering the high percentage of ELL students at St. Anthony. While direct instruction is the most effective way to get information across, more constructivist methods may be better for engaging students.
This ideology of direct instruction being king also ties into another prevalent ideology in this article, that of education being businesslike. In addition to the students being silent during class and serious way in which education is view at St. Anthony, the author also seemed impressed with the uniforms at the school which include ties and blazers. This ideology of education being businesslike is directly connected to the empty vessel ideology where, if students are able to sit down, be quiet, and follow the rules, teachers can then fill them with important knowledge.
The final ideology present in the article was that low income students need "saving" in some way. As mentioned above, the article did not once mention the importance of parents or family in the education of St. Anthony students. This makes it seem as if education is something done entirely by the faculty and staff of the school with no collaboration from parents or family. In essence, it is suggesting that by using school vouchers at St. Anthony, parents can completely remove themselves from the process of the education of their children.
Who is represented?
St. Anthony School
quotes from president Terry Brown, fourth-grade teacher Jeanne Barbatti, fifth-grade teacher Jenni Madden, third-grade teacher Mary Budiac, principal Ramon Cruz, fifth-grader Daysi Ojeda, and eighth-grader Tyler Do
Who is excluded?
St. Anthony School parents, legislators, lobbyists, and opponents of using education vouchers to attend religious schools
What is left out from the discussion?
The most glaring omission in this article is a discussion of the low test scores by students who attend St. Anthony. Sandwiched between a quote by Terry Brown, the school president, where he claims that they "want to be the model Catholic grade school in the nation" and a comment by the author, Borsuk, saying that the school might not have much of a track record but "the track it is building is eye-catching," is a brief mention that St. Anthony students test below the 50th percentile nationally. The information about test scores is quite relevant, yet is simply glossed over in this article.
The article also fails to address that there is any controversy over the utilization of education vouchers, let alone using them on parochial education. It costs more to educate a voucher student than a public school student and the difference is made up by increased property taxes on Milwaukee residents.
Lastly, the article does not include parents of St. Anthony students in the discussion about the success of the school. There are multiple quotes from classroom teachers at the school regarding instruction and how well behaved the students are and there are two quotes from St. Anthony students about their opinions of the school (one student discusses how much she enjoys the religious aspect of the school is and another talks about how much he needs to pay attention in class). The president and principal of the school are each quoted, but there is no mention of parents or other family members anywhere in the article. This omission gives the impression that St. Anthony parents are not involved in the education of their children and that the school is "saving" students.
What ideologies are used to construct the arguments?
One ideology that surfaced most often in this article was that direct instruction is the best way of teaching. The author notes the "learning posture" encouraged by the school, discusses how the classrooms he viewed were all incredibly quiet as the teacher lectured, and is impressed with education being addressed as "a serious matter." There is no questioning of these practices and how well they work, especially considering the high percentage of ELL students at St. Anthony. While direct instruction is the most effective way to get information across, more constructivist methods may be better for engaging students.
This ideology of direct instruction being king also ties into another prevalent ideology in this article, that of education being businesslike. In addition to the students being silent during class and serious way in which education is view at St. Anthony, the author also seemed impressed with the uniforms at the school which include ties and blazers. This ideology of education being businesslike is directly connected to the empty vessel ideology where, if students are able to sit down, be quiet, and follow the rules, teachers can then fill them with important knowledge.
The final ideology present in the article was that low income students need "saving" in some way. As mentioned above, the article did not once mention the importance of parents or family in the education of St. Anthony students. This makes it seem as if education is something done entirely by the faculty and staff of the school with no collaboration from parents or family. In essence, it is suggesting that by using school vouchers at St. Anthony, parents can completely remove themselves from the process of the education of their children.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)