School Vouchers For Private And Parochial Schools? Proven Failure In DC

forward this message Senate to Vote on School Vouchers THIS WEEK Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on Lieberman Amendment Two weeks ago, we informed you that Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) was planning to introduce an amendment on the Senate floor that would expand and extend the failed DC school voucher program. Today, we write with the same news - Lieberman is still at it, and is very likely to get the floor vote he wants TODAY, TOMORROW, or THURSDAY. This is an extremely important vote. The Senate has rejected his attempts thus far, but the political climate is changing and we need your help to be sure they do so again! After sneaking through the congressional authorization process as a controversial pilot program almost 6 years ago, the DC voucher program has failed to meet its goals. Rather than providing for increased educational opportunity for the District's neediest students, the program has resulted in no significant gains for the students for whom the program is intended. Unsurprisingly, vouchers are an ineffective solution and a drain on the public school system, and it's now time to stop this taxpayer-funded program before the reach of vouchers expands further. Public school opponents are using this as a test case. Those who believe that your tax dollars should be spent on private and parochial school tuition would love to extend the voucher program in DC, and then spread federally funded school vouchers throughout the rest of the country. Vouchers do not work - and the DC program is no exception. Students from Schools In Need of Improvement, the target population for the program, have shown no significant improvement in their voucher schools. The program is a failure and an unwise use of taxpayer dollars. With the current state of our national economy, it is imperative that we only fund programs that actually work. We need to prepare our students for the future by funding evidence-based methods of raising student achievement - not vouchers. Please urge your Senator to take a stand against vouchers and vote NO on Lieberman Amendment to FAA Reauthorization. Tell Your Senators to Vote NO on Lieberman Amendment For more information, please call (202) 466-3234—or email auactivist@au.org. You can also help by making a donation. © 2010 Americans United for Separation of Church and State

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