{"id":38733,"date":"2017-05-02T11:25:44","date_gmt":"2017-05-02T18:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=38733"},"modified":"2017-05-02T11:25:44","modified_gmt":"2017-05-02T18:25:44","slug":"charter-schools-vouchers-not-solution-australian-schooling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/charter-schools-vouchers-not-solution-australian-schooling\/","title":{"rendered":"Charter schools and vouchers not a solution for Australian schooling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Voucher-Restrictions1000x556\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A new report<\/a> from the Centre for Independent Studies described Gonski funding<\/a> for schools as a \u201cfantasy\u201d and made three proposals for school funding:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hand over full control for school policy and funding to the states.<\/li>\n
  2. Establish a school voucher system, which provides funding directly to students rather than schools.<\/li>\n
  3. Create charter schools \u2013 these are publicly-funded but privately-run schools.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The report argues that:<\/p>\n

    Australia\u2019s school results have been declining in international standardised tests while public debt continues to grow. For the sake of reversing the decline in both the country\u2019s education standards and its fiscal responsibility, getting school funding right is more imperative than ever.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The rationale for introducing charter schools and vouchers to Australia is often made in the context of declining international test scores<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    It is ironic that the two systems that we look to for our policy borrowing, the US and UK, consistently perform worse<\/a> than Australia on these same tests.<\/p>\n

    However, evidence<\/a> from the US on charter schools suggests that they are neither cheaper to run, nor more effective in improving student outcomes.<\/p>\n

    Similarly, vouchers are touted as part of a push for greater choice in the school market, but have had unflattering results<\/a>, including insignificant impact on student achievement.<\/p>\n

    What are charter schools and vouchers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Charter schools are privately owned and operated schools that are almost entirely funded by the government. They have much greater freedom over staffing and curriculum than traditional public schools, which are controlled by state education bureaucracies.<\/p>\n

    While there has been a move to independent public schools<\/a> under coalition governments, these are still public schools but with some localised school autonomy.<\/p>\n

    Vouchers are a form of student-based funding that allows parents to choose any school they like, regardless of sector. An amount is allocated to each child that can then be spent on the local public, charter or private school.<\/p>\n

    The rationale is that vouchers provide choice in an education market, and charters are able to meet the needs of different students, particularly those from disadvantaged areas.<\/p>\n

    However, the CIS report admits that the research<\/a> demonstrates:<\/p>\n

    There is no significant link, either positive or negative, between vouchers and student outcomes.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The report claims that vouchers are simpler, fairer, and more transparent than current funding models. Yet there is no evidence to suggest that this would be the case.<\/p>\n

    Vouchers are used in the US<\/strong><\/p>\n

    US President Donald Trump is a big fan of vouchers<\/a>, which give parents choice over the school that they send their children to. He has promised to significantly expand<\/a> the system in the US.<\/p>\n

    But overall, the research provides a mixed picture<\/a> of charter schools and vouchers:<\/p>\n

    Some studies in some locations find charters outperform traditional public schools, some find they are no different than the traditional ones, and some find they perform worse.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n

    There are some serious concerns about charter schools, including:<\/p>\n