Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
03/29/2011
Contact:
Katie Broendel, broendelk@aauw.org
202/785-7761
Lisa Goodnight, goodnightl@aauw.org
202/785-7738
WASHINGTON – The American Association of University Women (AAUW) strongly opposes the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (H.R. 471), a bill the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on this week. If approved, the legislation would reauthorize the failed Washington, D.C., school voucher pilot program, the only federally funded program of its kind in the country.
The controversial program has a poor track record of producing good educational outcomes and worse, funnels taxpayer money to private schools that do not have to follow accountability requirements and civil rights laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act and Title IX.
"AAUW stands firmly by the belief that our nation should provide an excellent education for all children, not private school vouchers for a few," said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. "In these tight fiscal times, it's irresponsible to divert taxpayer dollars to schools that aren't accountable to the public or an elected school board. We need meaningful education reform, but vouchers are not the answer. We must use precious tax dollars to improve the public schools serving 90 percent of our students."
The program, which expired in 2008, currently receives approximately $13 million in federal dollars and provides vouchers of up to $7,500 a piece to about 1,000 students. The SOAR Act would not only reauthorize the failed voucher program, it would expand it, allowing new students into the program and increasing the voucher amount. AAUW is advocating for a responsible end to the pilot program; currently, the transition plan does not support new students but allows current voucher recipients to continue until graduation.
The DC voucher program has not been proven to improve academic achievement. The final Department of Education report on the program found "no conclusive evidence that the OSP [Opportunity Scholarship Program] affected student achievement." A November 2007 GAO report revealed problems as well, including not adhering to procedures for making scholarship payments. The GAO report also found that many of the participating schools conducted classes in unsuitable learning environments led by teachers without bachelor's degrees. In many cases, parents were not informed of these deficiencies.
"Vouchers fly in the face of our nation's commitment to public education; they siphon off scarce resources to private or religious schools that selectively admit students," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations. "If education reform is really about improving student achievement, vouchers should be off the table. Unfortunately, vouchers are less about education and more about implementing a political agenda, blurring the separation of church and state, and circumventing civil rights laws. For those who want to erase these lines, vouchers are a swell idea. That's why AAUW remains staunchly opposed to them."
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The American Association of University Women (AAUW) advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation’s leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls. AAUW has a nationwide network of more than 100,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches, and 600 college/university institutional partners. Since AAUW's founding 130 years ago, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.