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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2003

News Release

Statement of NEA President Reg Weaver on Findings By The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies 

National Press Club, Washington, D.C. - May 14, 2003 

David Bositis and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies have done some fine work over the years in helping highlight some of the unique perspectives of African Americans compared to others in our society.

In recent years, one of the Center's findings has been cited time and time again - the idea that African Americans are more likely to support school vouchers than are white Americans. In fact, the most recent findings by the Center have found that opposition to vouchers increased from 37% to 43% compared to their findings two years ago - while confidence in public schools has risen.

Getting a sense of perceptions through polling is useful. But those who use polling alone to determine what people want are not getting the whole story - especially when they look at questions without consideration for wording or presentation, or in isolation of other influences.

First, if we are going to use public support for one issue, we cannot easily dismiss their views on other related issues.

Second, there are other factors that come into play when people make decisions about vouchers or other issues. We should look at those other factors as well.

Let me address the first issue first. The Center's findings show that by a small majority, African Americans say they support vouchers. If we accept that, we ought then to also look at the overwhelming numbers of African Americans who believe that we spend too little in support of public schools. About 81 percent of African Americans believe we spend too little for education.

It would be hypocritical to point to the numbers in support of vouchers without also pointing out that what African Americans really want is additional resources to support effective programs in the public schools that their children attend. Every parent wants the same thing for their child - a good school in their neighborhood. A school that is safe and conducive to learning, with fully qualified teachers, small classes, and access to up-to-date books and materials.

Some people argue that we shouldn't make a distinction between vouchers and efforts to improve existing public schools. But given the budget constraints at the local, state, and national levels, it makes no sense to say we can support both improvements in public school and pay for students to attend private schools at the same time.

My second point is this: Every pollster will tell you that a poll gives an indication of what people think, but it is not the final word. Every policy matter has costs and consequences that can significantly affect how people vote - or otherwise determine what they really want.

We have many different indications that the majority of African Americans vote against vouchers every time that they have had the opportunity. In California and Michigan in 2000, African Americans voted against vouchers by overwhelming numbers. In the 2001 New Jersey gubernatorial race, African Americans supported James McGreevy over Brent Schundler by almost 90 percent - even though Schundler's support for vouchers was a central element of his campaign.

As David has pointed out, support for vouchers is more closely tied to frustration with the status quo than it is to a genuine support for vouchers. Deeper discussions with people frequently point out some of the problems vouchers present.

What are some of the costs and consequences of vouchers?

First, we should consider student achievement. The most recent study of the Cleveland voucher plan conducted by Kim Metcalf of Indiana University shows no difference between students who used vouchers and those who were eligible for vouchers but attended Cleveland Public Schools. The highly touted Paul Peterson study of private scholarships showed that some students who used vouchers did better in some grades in some years - it also showed that some students did worse.

There is no consistent evidence that vouchers improve student achievement.

Who benefits from vouchers? Again, the experience in Cleveland and Milwaukee shows that most students who use vouchers never attended public schools. In Cleveland, so few people applied for vouchers that the state stepped in to voluntarily give vouchers to students who were already attending private schools.

Can people use vouchers if they get them? After 10 years, only about three-fourths of the available vouchers in Milwaukee are used by students. In Florida, 96 percent of the private schools in the state said they would not accept voucher-bearing students - in the Florida A Plus voucher plan. And even with private scholarships, there are problems. The Peterson study found that 68 percent of the students who were offered a scholarship used it in the first year, declining to 47 percent in the second year, and 29 percent in the third year.

Vouchers are a divisive political issue. We would hope that policymakers would concentrate on those issues that unite us - parents and teachers, black, hispanic and white, urban and suburban, and all the other differences.

It is possible - and it ought to be the right of every child - to make sure that all public schools are as good as the best public schools. What will that require?

We need a qualified teacher in every classroom. Sadly, minority, urban and rural students are much more likely to have a teacher who is not fully licensed and has little or no experience.

We need smaller classes for individualized attention. Parents and teachers understand - and research confirms - that smaller classes make the biggest difference with low-income students in the early grades.

We need to hold all students to high expectations - and match those high expectations with access to up-to-date books and materials and access to computers.

We can and should provide these things for every child. But we can't provide them without adequate and equitable funding. High expectations are important, but by themselves high expectations are not enough.

Last year, 17 states cut spending for elementary and secondary education. This year, at least two-thirds of the states are expected to cut spending for education. We don't have money to waste on experimenting with vouchers - especially when the early results of those experiments are so dismal.

Let's do what African Americans - and all Americans - believe is important. Let's invest in our children and invest in our local public schools.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.