“An all-voucher or all-school choice system would be a shock to the educational system, but the shake out might be just what the system needs”

Once upon a time, a certain Senator from Massachusetts wrote about the virtues of school voucher programs. But you’d never know that based on how Sen. Warren criticized newly minted Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos.

Writing to Secretary DeVos upon her nomination, Sen. Warren wrote:

“For decades, you have been one of the nation’s strongest advocates for radically transforming the public education system through the use of taxpayer-funded vouchers that steer public dollars away from traditional public schools to private and religious schools. … “But the actual evidence on how private voucher programs affect educational outcomes is mixed at best, in many cases reveals these programs to be expensive and dangerous failures that cost taxpayers billions of dollars while destroying public education systems.”

And then there was the not so thinly veiled charge of racism:

“These private voucher programs also have a racially charged history. Historically, private school vouchers have been used by some states to further racial and socioeconomic segregation.”

A favorite argument of anti-choicers which we explored here.

But back to the point — in 2004, Sen. Warren co-wrote the book, The Two Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Parents are Going Broke.

Then, she wrote:

So which is it? “An all-voucher or all-school choice system would be a shock to the educational system, but the shake out might be just what the system needs,” or vouchers are a scourge on public education?

It’s always a shame when ideology is used to torpedo solid ideas that would positively transform the landscape of the country.

[h/t AEI]

Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye



