Voucher trial improved both schools involved

A study by educators from Seton Hall University in New Jersey of the A Better Choice (ABC) Scholarship program concluded that schools do improve as a result of competition. The study was published in the June edition of "Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice."

Mel Shay, acting provost of Seton Hall and former dean of the university's College of Education and Human Services; and Richard Ognibene, acting dean of the College of Education and Human Services, conducted the study, which took over a year to complete. It focused on Giffen Memorial Elementary School and St. James Institute, both in Albany.

How it worked

The program was funded by Virginia Gilder, who concluded it was necessary that all of the voucher funds be available for students from a single school in order to improve that school.

According to the study, Ms. Gilder stated, "If four or five students fade out of a public school, nobody notices and it's easier for the school to go about its business as usual; but if a big bunch leaves, the message can't be ignored."

Getting noticed

The ABC program made news in national magazines, appearing on the cover of Forbes magazine and on the front page of Education Week. The ABC program also received considerable local news coverage.

'Stunt'

The report notes that public school officials (who were not available for comment for this article) described the program as "an expensive publicity stunt aimed at embarrassing teachers and making a political statement at the expense of an impoverished neighborhood and its school."

Change-NY, a conservative lobbying and research organization that was managing the ABC program, stated that the voucher plan was an immediate and concrete opportunity for poor families to obtain a better education for their children, rather than waiting to see if school district promises of school improvement would pan out.

After the ABC program was instituted, 105 Giffen students left the school to enroll in various private schools. Approximately 68 of them entered St. James, located a mile from Giffen.

Effects

* Prior to the start of the school year, a new principal was appointed, and two new assistant principals and 12 teachers were hired;

* During the school year, a three-year grant was secured that allowed the school to hire two social workers;

* a prevention program was initiated, a daily school-wide morning assembly was begun, staff workshops devoted to instructional methodology were held, a mentoring program for new teachers was created, a school reading improvement program was implemented, and there was an increased emphasis on school discipline.

As a result of the publicity generated by the ABC Scholarship, says the report, changes made at Giffen improved the school for the students who remained there.

Competition

"Clearly, the reading improvement program implemented a year and a half ago is having some good effect at Giffen. Giffen was, in part, motivated to implement this program as a way to overcome the negative publicity their school had received when the private voucher program was announced.

"Even though the Language Arts scores at Giffen improved, the scores of St. James students were substantially better than the Giffen scores. This also substantiates our claim that St. James is a quality school whose continued existence is very important for the South End community. The test scores for the New Covenant Charter School were among the lowest in the state. School choice alone did not work magic, so one needs to look at the whole environment of a school, usually called the school ethos, to ask what is it that St. James does right that New Covenant did not."

Praise for school

The study authors write: "St. James is an appealing institution for many of the reasons the general literature about Catholic schools suggests: attention to moral and spiritual development, a safe and orderly environment, formal and informal mechanisms that promote significant parental involvement, and a strongly felt sense of community that generates connections among faculty, staff, students and parents."

According to Elizabeth Rubinstein, principal of St. James, the study buoyed the school staff and "they were thrilled to read it."

Benefits of ABC

* During the last school year, more than one-third of the school's population of 197 was supported by ABC scholarships. Without the program, enrollment would have been 129.

* The scholarship program alerted more parents to the existence of St. James. "More people know about our school now," Mrs. Rubinstein said. "People are more aware of us. The public relations here are through word of mouth. People tell other people."

* "It's made our school a multi-cultural school. You name the nationality, we have it."

* There is also religious diversity which promotes understanding among denominations. Although all of the students are not Catholic, the school maintains its Catholic identity. One of the end results is that some parents are converting to Catholicism, Mrs. Rubinstein said.

While the school community is pleased with the way St. James was depicted in the study, Mrs. Barton-Rubinstein said St. James will not rest on its laurels. She said educators must constantly be searching for ways to better their school because "there is always room for improvement."

More to come?

"Whether school choice will ever become widespread in the U.S. is really the educational question of the hour," he said. "Last January, The New York Times reported that two-thirds of the state legislatures in the country were considering proposed voucher laws. Already, that number of states have approved laws that permit the creation of charter schools. Since the presidential candidates have differing views on the topic, the election in November may be seen as an indicator of the future direction of school choice."

Both Catholic educators and Catholics in general can do much to make school choice a reality, said Dr. Ognibene.

"Catholic educators can further the cause of school choice by continuing to operate schools that produce superior results, that is, higher achievement scores, higher retention and graduation rates, and more college attendance," he noted. "The larger society must be influenced to continue to want the government to help these schools to survive. The general Catholic population must also be more influenced to support Catholic schools. The reality is that despite all the favorable publicity of the past 15 years, the number of Catholic schools is still declining.

"Everyone interested in the academic, moral and religious outcomes associated with Catholic education must be continually reminded and urged to undertake the political, financial, and volunteer activities that assist these schools."

(08-24-00) [[In-content Ad]]