used vouchers to leave public schools. The losses in voucher programs surpass those experienced by students in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina or by students nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Benefit to existing private school students: Approximately 70% of students across nine states who utilized school vouchers had never been enrolled in public schools, indicating that these programs primarily benefit students already in private schools. • Bailout for failing private schools: Studies from Milwaukee, home to the country’s oldest voucher program, reveal that 41% of private schools participating eventually closed. Without fact-based evidence, today’s voucher hucksters use the language of “values” education, “parental choice,” and “religious freedom” because it is more marketable. Just don’t call them “vouchers;” call them Education Savings Accounts or the Georgia Promise Schools Act of 2024. Cowen exposes a connected network of billionaire donors that dovetail with conservative political groups (the Bradley Foundation, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Council for National Policy, the Heritage Foundation, and Moms for Liberty), grassroots community activists, and professors from prestigious universities. All sow discord, distrust, and fear to delegitimize public schools. All favor privatized
Department of Audits examined school flexibility options. Key findings include: • The Department did not find evidence that waiving important educator laws, such as limits on class size, eliminating Fair Dismissal Act due process protections, or disregarding the duty-free lunch law, caused an increase in student achievement. • The Audit found no consequences for not meeting achievement targets. See Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts Performance Audit Division, Special Examination Report No. 19-16, December 2019. Ideology Over Evidence: Vouchers. In his book The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers , Professor Josh Cowen presents twenty years of research detailing the failures of these programs across the United States. He reveals that the ultimate victims are often children and families from marginalized communities. Cowen’s research shows how vouchers have fed into a broader conservative agenda. What does the research say? • Record academic declines: Studies from research teams in Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., show significant academic loss for students who
NEED HELP? Contact GAE ASAP! Your GAE UniServ Director (UD) is trained to provide you with the assistance you need. Your UD can put you in contact with our attorneys — specialists in educator defense. Find contact info for your UD at www. gae.org/localcontacts (sign in required)
education, book bans, censored curricula, and the enactment of anti-LGBTQIA policies.
Everything needs a tweak now and then When was the last time you looked at your homeowners insurance? Is it meeting your
needs? Does it offer the things a Horace Mann policy does, such as coverage if money or goods for a school-sponsored event are stolen while in your possession?
For more information visit horacemann.com or contact Yahrasiel Colbert at 470-493-7146 or Yahrasi e l.Colbert2@horacemann.com.
Horace Mann Insurance Company and its affiliates underwrite Horace Mann homeowners insurance. The benefits listed are only general descriptions of coverage, do not constitute a statement of contract, are subject to terms and conditions and may vary by state. Horace Mann and its affiliates enter into agreements with educational associations pursuant to which Horace Mann or its affiliate pays the educational association to provide various services that are aimed at familiarizing the association’s members with the Horace Mann brand, products or services. For more information or to ask questions about your educational association’s services agreement, please email your
inquiry to association.relations@horacemann.com. CM-P41088 (3-22)
horacemann.com
www.gae.org/know | 33
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator