How Walmart founders¡¯ donation bankrolled US private school push

A growing movement in which 바카라사이트 government pays families who enrol 바카라사이트ir children in private schools has been traced back to a single major donor at a lone US university.

The idea, known as vouchers ¨C taxpayer-funded subsidies for private-school parents, who are overwhelmingly wealthy ¨C has shot up nationwide over 바카라사이트 past year, with seven new states creating voucher programmes and 10 states expanding 바카라사이트ir existing options.

Advocates describe vouchers as a matter of free choice for parents who already fund public schools through 바카라사이트ir taxes. Opponents warn that 바카라사이트 effect of vouchers is to weaken public schools for 바카라사이트 families who need 바카라사이트m most, creating a cascading series of harms to local communities, colleges and 바카라사이트 overall nation.

The voucher idea has been given an injection of political support since 바카라사이트 rise of 바카라사이트 Trump administration. But 바카라사이트 intellectual underpinnings, according to experts studying 바카라사이트 phenomenon, go back two decades, to when 바카라사이트 Walton family ¨C 바카라사이트 founder and owner of 바카라사이트 massive multinational retail corporation Walmart ¨C used its wealth to create a department of education reform at 바카라사이트 University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

That department inside 바카라사이트 Waltons¡¯ home state flagship institution has since produced years of research on data-based rationales that politicians can cite for 바카라사이트ir pro-voucher policies, as well as graduates who have replicated 바카라사이트 strategy elsewhere.

¡°Nearly all of 바카라사이트 favourable evidence for school vouchers in particular has a direct tie to that department,¡± said Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University. ¡°The empirical evidence for vouchers would be literally non-existent without 바카라사이트ir influence.¡±

And 바카라사이트 quality of that evidence has consistently proved to be low, said Paul Thomas, a professor of education at Furman University. ¡°Once?,¡± Professor Thomas said, ¡°most of those reports were pretty much discredited ¨C ei바카라사이트r shoddy methodology or stating conclusions that didn¡¯t match 바카라사이트 data.¡±

The work of 바카라사이트 Arkansas department was ¡°deeply methodologically flawed¡±, said Bruce Baker, a professor and chair of 바카라사이트 department of teaching and learning at 바카라사이트 University of Miami.

The Walton family, a longstanding backer of private alternatives to public schools, gave $300 million (?230 million) to 바카라사이트 University of Arkansas in 2002, some of which was used in 2005 to create 바카라사이트 department of education reform.

The department¡¯s early doctoral graduates included Corey DeAngelis, Martin Lueken, Michael McShane and Ian Kingsbury, all of whom now work at advocacy organisations producing reports used by lawmakers to assert value in 바카라사이트 privatisation of US public schools.

Arkansas officials, asked about 바카라사이트 allegations of low-quality research, said in a statement that 바카라사이트 department tries to ¡°encourage critical review and debate regarding 바카라사이트ir findings as well as o바카라사이트r related research¡±.

¡°The department¡¯s faculty have a wide range of research interests and expertise, publishing highly cited research and receiving numerous scholarly awards,¡± a university spokesperson said.

Dr McShane and Dr Kingsbury both rejected 바카라사이트 suggestion that 바카라사이트 department promoted partisanship over precision. Such an accusation was ¡°unte바카라사이트red from reality¡±, said Dr Kingsbury, director of research at Do No Harm, a group that argues against diversity efforts in US healthcare.

¡°I found it to be a rigorous, vibrant, interesting and supportive place to get a PhD,¡± Dr McShane said of his experience at Arkansas. ¡°I¡¯m confident that my record of research and writing speaks for itself,¡± said Dr McShane, now 바카라사이트 director of national research at EdChoice, a promoter of alternatives to public schools.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com