Debunking CTA’s anti-school choice arguments

After notable nationwide school choice victories in 2021, the California Teachers Association (CTA) still fiercely opposes two local school voucher initiatives. In the California Policy Center, educational commentator Larry Sand refutes CTA talking points against school choice, emphasizing that vouchers improve educational outcomes without hurting local public schools. To receive daily updates of new Opp Now stories, click here.

On a page from its website, CTA goes into more detail about the looming initiatives, advising the flock that the union is about to give us “facts, based on research.”

But, in reality, their “facts” are pure bushwa.

CTA Fact #1 – Vouchers reduce funding for neighborhood schools, meaning fewer textbooks, teachers and more overcrowded classrooms.

There is actually a kernel of truth here, but it’s a half-truth. If parents decide that a private school can do a better job than their zip-code mandated government run school, yes, the funding for public schools would be reduced, but so would the number of kids. So, if 50% of kids leave a public school and the school loses 50% of its funding, the remaining students have the same amount of per-pupil funding to work with. It’s worth noting that researcher Greg Forster looked at 34 studies on the effects of school choice on public schools, and finds that in 32 of them, school choice improves academic outcomes in public schools affected by the program, while one finds no visible difference and just one finds a negative impact.

CTA Fact #2 – Voucher programs are associated with reduced educational outcomes. CTA mentions here that a few states’ programs have been less than stellar. Yes, and Ty Cobb struck out on occasion also, but looking at the whole, Ty Cobb and school choice have been raving successes. As Greg Forster reports, the latest empirical school choice research and found that of 19 studies, 14 showed positive results and 2 found no difference. Due to design flaws in the D.C. and Louisiana programs, 3 studies showed negative effects.

This article originally appeared in the California Policy Center. Read the whole thing here.

Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity

Image by Wikimedia Commons