Group of children standing in classroom
attribution: Iofoto/Dreamstime
The Republican strategy of privatizing public education and labeling it as a civil rights issue continues apace. While Republican politicians don't see it as a civil right for poor kids to eat or have health care or a place to live, when it comes to charter school expansion or vouchers to attend private schools, suddenly it's all about civil rights, according to Republicans. Also, too, a break from being the Party of No:
“It allows Republicans to be positive, and different from how they are normally perceived,” said Matthew Dowd, a political strategist and the architect of George W. Bush’s 2004 victory. “Republicans are often seen as supporting policies that help a certain class of voters,” Dowd said. “Here, we have policies that provide opportunity for everyone, especially low-income voters.”
Even if minority voters aren’t entirely won over, Dowd said, GOP candidates still benefit from talking up school choice: “It gives the message to moderate white suburban voters that they’re tolerant, they’re expansive — they care.”
The "opportunity" in question, of course, is to participate in programs that are not improving educational outcomes, like going to mostly mediocre-to-bad private schools (vouchers aren't sending kids to Andover or Exeter, you know?). And the vouchers aren't enough for the poorest families to afford private school, but the programs weaken the traditional public schools those