In a Letter to the Editor of the New York Times, Jeanne Allen, President of
the Center for Education Reform, notes that an article entitled “Public MoneyFinds Back Door to Private Schools” doesn’t “mention facts and data showing that more
choices in education lead to increased student achievement without doing harm
to traditional public schools.” She continues,
School choice programs increase student achievement and graduation rates,
while costing only one-quarter of the money per child that conventional public
schools do. Scholarships and tax-credit programs stimulate healthy competition
that yields dramatic improvement in achievement among students of every income
level.
Contrary to the article, choice programs are embraced by the largest and
most diverse coalition in recent history — a coalition that includes Republican
and Democratic legislators, civil rights leaders, business leaders, local
officials and educators. Most important, it includes parents who want and
deserve the power to choose the best school for their child.