Submitted by elaine silverberg, Jan 20, 2007 04:38

Absent from all discussions of reorganization and reform is a reference to how families determine the course of student learning. The following lengthy quotation is from the Teachers College Record. It says it all:

Does the Supreme Court Ruling on Vouchers in Cleveland Really Matter for Education Reform?

by Clive Belfield & Henry Levin — July 01, 2002, Teachers College Record

EIGHT REASONS WHY THE SUPREME COURT DECISION DOESN'T MATTER AS MUCH AS WE MAY THINK

The Supreme Court ruling is clearly of great salience to the participants involved in the case. However, we can identify numerous reasons why the debate over educational vouchers that has made its way to the Supreme Court is less important than it may appear at first glance to the education reform agenda across the nation. We itemize these eight reasons below.

1. FAMILIES MATTER MORE THAN SCHOOLS

First, reforms affecting the provision of education have only a limited impact on the educational achievements of most school children. Basically, family behaviors count much more than schools do in determining the well-being of, and opportunities for, children (Levin & Belfield, forthcoming). At least 90 percent of the waking hours of a child from birth to the age of 18 are spent in an environment heavily conditioned by families, not by schools (Sosniak, 2001). Evidence on test scores reflect these proportions. For instance, Hoxby (2001) finds family variables account for more than 93 percent of the variance in 12^th grade mathematics scores, with less than 3 percent being explained by school input variables (but also see Wenglinsky, 2002). We are not claiming that schools should be let off the hook, or that efficiency gains should not be sought. Rather, we should be realistic about what can be achieved through reforms to the school system. To have a large educational impact, vouchers would need to affect family conditions and behaviors far more radically than simply through expanding choice.

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