Vouchers --- Parents, Don't Depend On Them Written by Joel Turtel
Vouchers, which give tax money to parents to pay for tuition in private schools, sound good in theory. The problem is that voucher programs are few and very far between. The Supreme Court declared vouchers constitutional in 2002, but currently only thirteen cities or states have created voucher or education tax credit programs. Some of these voucher programs are tax credit programs, whether personal or corporate, and cover only a fraction of tuition costs. The voucher programs have various restrictions that limit their benefits to a relatively small number of children (such as Florida programs that are limited to disabled students or to schools that get an ‘F’ grade). Also, many of these programs pay only part of tuition costs. In ‘tuitioning’ programs in Maine and Vermont, most eligible kids simply transfer to public schools in other towns. In effect, these programs barely scratch surface —they only help a tiny fraction of approximately 45 million school children who now suffer through public-school education. Also, education establishment, teacher unions, and most state and federal legislators in Democratic party are against vouchers. Teacher unions fight voucher initiatives tooth and nail with lawsuits. When unions take state voucher plans to court, these lawsuits can drag on for years. The voucher fight is going to be a long, bitter, ongoing legal battle between parents, states, and teacher unions. Also, most states today are running huge budget deficits. As a result, states are cutting back on programs already on their books, so they can hardly afford expensive new voucher programs. California had close to a $13 billion budget deficit (which they “closed” by typical near-sighted trick of borrowing money with new state bonds), Texas a $10 billion deficit, and New York about an $8 billion deficit.15 (these deficit numbers keep fluctuating, depending on which politician is citing which new study, but deficits are huge).
| | How To Buy Infants’ Best Educational Toys?Written by Argo Wibowo
Buying educational toys for infants can be difficult, because infants seem to do so little that educating them right after birth might strike you as a bit rushed. However, fact is that your baby is learning at a great speed, taking in everything that is around, and picking up habits, information and words.Research shows that many disabilities and learning disorders in young children can be avoided by providing them with appropriate cognitive stimulation as early as possible. By giving your infant right stimulation, you can ward off such problems and groom your baby for pre-school and challenges that follow. Every parent wants best of everything for their child, but sometimes it is hard to know what is best when there are so many choices and opinions. Choosing toys for your child can be stressful because of sheer number of factors you have to consider before making a buy, and staggering variety of options you have. However, selecting good educational toys plays a very significant role in your child's development, and as such cannot be disregarded or treated casually. Here are some tips you need to know to understand more about your infants’ best educational toys. Guideline for Your Toyshop Remember these guidelines as you toyshop for your baby:
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