Tucson, Arizona  Sunday, 9 December 2001
http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/11209NVOUCHERS-NYT.html

THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON - A comprehensive study examining the research on the use of vouchers and charter schools for children attending substandard public schools has found no conclusive evidence that such programs consistently improve student achievement, though they do appear to raise satisfaction among parents.

The study by the Rand Corp., released Thursday, was neither a death knell for the school-choice movement nor a ringing endorsement. Rather, it revealed the paucity of reliable data from either side. For example, though the report reviewed hundreds of studies, the authors found only three on the crucial question of student achievement whose methodology they considered sound.

Even so, groups on both sides of the voucher issue praised the report as neutral and - perhaps not surprisingly - found in its 266 pages support for their positions.

Dominic J. Brewer, who co-wrote the report, "Rhetoric Versus Reality: What We Know and What We Need to Know About Vouchers and Charter Schools," noted that supporters have portrayed vouchers and charter schools as a "silver bullet" that will solve the problems of poverty and substandard schools. Critics claim that vouchers destroy the fabric of public education and skim the best students from the worst schools. "Unfortunately, the conclusions of neither side in the debate can be sustained," Brewer said.

Most glaring of all, the researchers said, was the absence of any reliable studies showing what happens to the children left in the public schools that have seen students depart for charter academies or private schools.



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