Defeat of Vouchers Paves the Way for SAGE Program
Voters soundly defeated two statewide school voucher initiatives last November by 71 to 29 percent in California, and by 69 to 31 percent
in Michigan. Voucher advocates lost despite spending about $45 million in these two campaigns.
In spite of these crushing defeats, the promoters of school vouchers intend to continue the fight in state legislatures across the nation. Their lobbying efforts will be just as well-financed and well-organized as their referendum campaigns. Advocates for public schools will have to prove, once again, that vouchers do not improve student learning, do not provide real "choice" for low-income students, and instead damage education by robbing funds from public schools.
A large segment of the public is attracted to the voucher idea because it is offered as a "solution" to the problem of under-performing schools. To win this debate, progressives must offer a solution of their own.
The Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program is a model that substantially improves student performance in Wisconsin.
Enacted in 1995, SAGE reduces class size to 15 students per teacher in grades K through three, institutes a rigorous academic curriculum, provides professional development for teachers, and holds professional
staff responsible for achieving results.
The SAGE program has been proven superior to vouchers. Roughly 6,000 students are educated through Milwaukee’s $25 million school voucher program at double the cost of educating 11,000 children in the city’s SAGE schools. Every year, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee conducts
program evaluations comparing 30 SAGE schools to 14-17 comparison schools. Matched head-to-head against vouchers, the SAGE program easily comes out on top. While SAGE substantially improves student performance in language arts, math, and overall test scores, Milwaukee voucher students score no better than comparable students in the public schools.
"Good research on SAGE shows that it works," says Ed Muir, a senior researcher for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). "In particular, there are real benefits for students at risk."
SAGE is successful because it does more than lower class size—it mandates comprehensive reform. Participating school districts sign contracts with the state that require:
- Reduction in class size each year for three
consecutive years.
- Collaboration with community organizations
to make educational, recreational and social
services available in the school.
- A rigorous academic curriculum designed
to improve pupil academic achievement.
- An evaluation process for professional
staff members that identifies individual strengths
and weaknesses, clearly describes areas in need of improvement, provides opportunities to learn
and improve, and systematically documents performance in accordance with the plan.
- Dismissal of professional staff members
whose failure to learn and improve has been
documented over a two-year period.
"There are more advantages when you have a comprehensive approach to class size reduction," explains Janice Hagey, State Policy Affairs Coordinator for the National Education Association
(NEA). "What makes SAGE unique, is that the
program enables teachers to take advantage of the
benefits that can come with reduced class sizes. To
reduce class size, without training is a real risk, and
that’s why NEA supports the SAGE model."
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SAGE – A Solution for Education Reform
- Is unique because it attends to teacher
quality, academic standards and community involvement.
- Isn’t a monolithic one-size-fits-all approach.
The program mandates a framework with certain key principles that don’t vary, but allows flexibility
in implementation.
- Offers clear accountability in implementation
and evaluation.
- Is based on solid research that indicates class
size reduction is most effective in grades K-3.
- Differentiates itself from other policy models
because funding for external evaluation is built into
the legislation, a very important component that
other education reforms do not account for.
Center for Education Research, Analysis, and Innovation
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