Julian complains that I had the temerity to post data from the DC voucher study even though it's only one-year-old! Shocking stuff, I know. Though since these private schools have been in operation for years, reacting to all sorts of pure price signals in the market, it wouldn't be crazy to think there would be effects, and you can damn well bet that if year one showed a 10 percent improvement, it would be shouted from the rooftops.
But whatever: DC stat just caught my eye. I've also posted about the nonexistent improvements from the multiyear Milwaukee study, the Dayton program, from the New York program, and so on. I've posted the conclusions of books, studies, and RAND monographs. Voucher programs simply haven't worked. They've not failed, either. They've just not done much of anything.
It's actually an odd thing. When talking health care, I can point to literally dozens of nationalized systems that perform better, cost less, and cover more individuals. And this doesn't convince anyone on the Right. I can point to the VA, which is a fully-functioning, fully-socialized domestic health system with far better results than the private market, and that convinces no one. But when the talk turns to education, the Right can point to dozens of voucher programs that cost about the same, return no better results, and don't give even one more kid an education. And yet they love vouchers and loathe universal health care.
