j.r. leonard

Vouchers and charter schools are different. Charter schools have some success in some specific areas, usually areas where public schools failed bc of poor administration. They are comparably worse as the public schools system improves. Prob even out at slightly below avg.

Vouchers don’t work much of anywhere if the standard is educational attainment. My understanding is that most parents like schools that reflect their social values instead of provide a good education, so educational attainment is only relevant for we nerds.

Then perhaps schooling should have less to do with parents personal preferences and more to do with high public educational quality. Amazing idea I know.

This is the trend. People with money get choices. Poor people get their lives designed and dictated by well-meaning technocrats. Is it crazy to suggest that maybe this way doesn’t lead to the best outcomes?

Imagine how much better public schools would be if they were funded equally instead of based on local property taxes... which literally punishes poor communities with shittier schools

Vermont majorly improved average school quality by moving from property tax base to state pool and redistribute. They are looking to overturn it 20 years later bc rich communities don’t like it.

Which may be an argument about the limits of liberal Utopianism.

Arguing the limits of liberal Utopianism has been my whole point Just because you’ve designed the perfect plan on paper, doesn’t mean it’s going to weather the economic and political realities of the world. You should be constantly updating your priors based on results