美国国家公共电台 NPR Lessons From The Nation's Oldest Voucher Program

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Giving a family a school voucher¹ doesn't guarantee a child a better education. We're about to hear how Milwaukee's African-American community has been struggling with this. The city has the nation's longest-running publicly funded voucher program. And for 27 years, it's targeting children who otherwise could not afford the tuition at a private or religious school. NPR's Ed team has been looking into vouchers², and Claudio Sanchez has our next report.

CLAUDIO SANCHEZ, BYLINE³: Milwaukee's $202 million parental⁴ choice program is either a beacon⁵ of hope for poor children or a failed experiment. To figure out which is closer to the truth, we set out to visit a few voucher schools, starting in Texas Bufkin Christian⁶ Academy and its founder⁷ Texas Bufkin.

TEXAS BUFKIN: We don't let people from the media in our building.

SANCHEZ: Why?

BUFKIN: Because I just don't feel like I need to talk to reporters.

SANCHEZ: For good reason. Of the 121 private and religious schools in the voucher program here, this is the lowest performing. OK, five minutes, Bufkin says finally; I'll give you five minutes.

Texas Bufkin Christian Academy has operated for 16 years. It occupies an old drab building that once housed a nursing home for the blind. The narrow hallways are lined with half empty boxes. The lighting⁸ is poor. The school enrolls¹⁰ only 94 students, pre-K through 12th grade. It's one of two for-profit schools in the voucher program.

BUFKIN: You know, God has things for us to do - each and every one of us. And I think for me it is to be an educator. It is to bring some hope.

SANCHEZ: All the students here are African-American. All have a voucher worth up to $7,900. But the school's latest scores on state tests show that not a single student - zero - is at grade level - not in math, not in reading, science or social studies. The reason - Texas Bufkin's daughter, Nicole, who helps run the schools, says most of the students they take in arrive four to six years behind.

NICOLE BUFKIN: The child who's, like, not a great student, who's not in criminal trouble, but a child who's just fallen through the cracks, they may not be going to Harvard. They may not be going to Yale. But we're the people who are the net, and we're catching¹¹ them.

SANCHEZ: Still, it's a bit of a mystery why the school has been allowed to remain in the voucher program given its dismal¹² academic record. Turns out, the state can and has shut down voucher schools for health, safety and financial reasons but not because they were failing academically. It's how the voucher law was written.

Howard Fuller, one of the architects of the law, agrees. Some voucher schools are doing no better than the worse public schools. Fuller should know. He's a former superintendent¹³ of the Milwaukee public schools. But he insists that for nearly 28,000 kids - a third of the city's total student population - vouchers are a lifeline.

HOWARD FULLER: There are thousands of children whose lives are much better today because they were able to access better schools than they would have if the voucher program had not existed.

SANCHEZ: Fuller's support for vouchers is pretty straightforward¹⁴.

FULLER: I don't believe that we should have an America where only those of us with money have the ability to choose.

SANCHEZ: But that's the thing. Vouchers here have simply not had the impact on students' overall academic performance that many predicted.

WENDELL HARRIS: My argument with Dr. Fuller was that if school choice became the law of the land in Wisconsin, the Catholic community would use the opening to, in essence, save the Catholic schools.

SANCHEZ: Many schools today rely so heavily on vouchers, they wouldn't exist without them, says Harris.

HARRIS: If you set up a Christian Academy, and your main interest is to get 100 children to improve your economic status using Christianity as the draw to exploit a person's beliefs for your own private gain, education is secondary.

SANCHEZ: Harris was one of the original plaintiffs who back in the 1990s sued the state in a failed effort to block vouchers. To this day, he and other black leaders in Milwaukee believe that the push for vouchers was not entirely¹⁵ about rescuing poor children.

HARRIS: Their agenda was to undermine public trust and public education in order to get to where they are now. Many of those families are convinced that public education is the problem. They don't understand that the problem is bigger than the school system.

SANCHEZ: Joblessness, crime and Milwaukee's poverty rates are among the highest in the nation. Vouchers don't address any of this, says Harris. As a prominent member of the NAACP, that's why he says he supports the group's call for a moratorium¹⁶ on charters and vouchers.

FULLER: That's absurd. What the hell are we talking about it here, man? The NAACP don't represent all black people.

SANCHEZ: Again, Howard Fuller.

FULLER: There's thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of black parents who are going to exercise the best option for their children, and they don't care what the NAACP says.

SANCHEZ: Voucher proponents¹⁷ say they want to weed out the lowest performing voucher schools and build support for the best ones like St. Marcus, a Lutheran school just north of downtown.

HENRY TYSON: So right now we're just leaving the school...

SANCHEZ: Henry Tyson runs St. Marcus. This morning he's on his way to pick up a little boy who can't get to school because his mom's car broke down. The boy's name is Jeremiah.

TYSON: A boarded up house on the right, a lot of trash in the streets. This is a tough, tough neighborhood right here that Jeremiah lives in.

SANCHEZ: Tyson says there are many Jeremiahs at St. Marcus, where 9 out of 10 students receive a voucher to help cover the $8,500 tuition.

TYSON: He loves school, just stacked with talent. And this, of course, is one of the great tragedies in a city like this. How do you give kids a vision for their future?

SANCHEZ: Claudio Sanchez, NPR News.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Next week the White House is expected to release an education budget request that increases spending for voucher programs. Education secretary Betsy DeVos is a big supporter of these programs.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BETSY DEVOS: I'm a firm believer that parents should be empowered to choose the learning environment that's best for each of their individual children.

CORNISH: She spoke¹⁸ of school choice and vouchers during her confirmation¹⁹ hearing earlier this year.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DEVOS: If a school is troubled or unsafe or not a good fit for a child, perhaps they have a special need that's going unmet. We should support a parent's right to enroll⁹ their child in a high-quality alternative.

CORNISH: But do voucher programs really provide high-quality alternatives? NPR's Ed team found that it's hard to prove whether vouchers will brighten a child's academic prospects²⁰.

SHAPIRO: Part of the problem is that it's hard to separate the performance of a school from the selection of its students. Many private schools have an application process for students and stricter discipline codes. And private schools tend to enroll fewer students with disabilities.

CORNISH: Another big challenge - many of the studies rely solely²¹ on test scores, which provide an incomplete picture of why families might choose a school, such as safety or a smaller class size.

SHAPIRO: So while it can be hard to determine whether school choice and voucher programs are working, most studies have not found much evidence that students benefit academically from these programs. In some cases, there may be a slight benefit - in other cases, just the opposite.

CORNISH: For more on school vouchers, head over to npr.org/ed.

(SOUNDBITE OF NOMADE ORQUESTRA'S "SAMURAI")

1 voucher   

n.收据；传票；凭单，凭证

参考例句：

• The government should run a voucher system.政府应该施行凭证制度。
• Whenever cash is paid out,a voucher or receipt should be obtained.无论何时只要支付现金，就必须要有一张凭据或者收据。

2 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

5 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

9 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

10 enrolls   

v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的第三人称单数 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• Enrolls the newborn register of names to print afterward and to mail. 录取新生名册随后打印并寄发。 来自互联网
• The association enrolls 100, 000 members. 该协会拥有10万名会员。 来自互联网

11 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

12 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

13 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

14 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

15 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

16 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

17 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

18 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

19 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

20 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

21 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。