The president and Republicans in Congress are proposing a plan to provide private school vouchers for students attending schools identified for restructuring under the No Child Left Behind Act. In addition, Congress will be considering legislation to continue the voucher program in Washington, D.C. Tell your senators and representatives to oppose vouchers.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I strongly urge you to oppose S. 1014/H.R. 1486, the Empowering Parents Through Choice Act. This legislation would enact President Bush's proposal to provide private school vouchers to students attending schools identified for restructuring under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). I also oppose efforts to continue or expand the voucher program in Washington, D.C.

Voucher plans divert federal resources away from efforts to raise standards and improve achievement in public schools. At a time when additional funds are urgently needed to help schools meet NCLB requirements, it only makes sense to focus limited resources on helping public schools improve.

Vouchers will not increase parental choice or accountability. In voucher programs, the choice is in the hands of private schools, which can exclude students based on a variety of factors, including ability, academic achievement, behavior, religion and special needs. Private schools are not required to meet the same standards as public schools under NCLB, and private schools are not accountable to the public for the progress of their students.

There is also no evidence that vouchers will improve achievement for disadvantaged students. Studies of voucher programs have found no or only modest achievement gains for voucher students. A recent congressionally mandated evaluation of the District of Columbia voucher program by the U.S. Department of Education found no significant academic differences in reading and math between voucher students and students in the public schools.

If we really want to help our children succeed, we ought to focus on helping our public schools improve rather than on experimenting with unproven voucher schemes. I urge you to oppose any private school voucher legislation.

Please tell me where you stand on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
July 19, 2006