An editorial in USA Today takes a look at an alternative voucher proposal to the one that is currently stalled in Congress. I agree with a couple of points made in the bill. Students participating in voucher programs should take the same standardized assessments that public school students do. And students should definitely show at least as much progress on those tests as students in the public schools.
However, I disagree with the provisions that would require changes to the faculties of private schools such as requiring their teachers to have college degrees or have a "demonstrated competency" in any subject area. One of the primary claims of voucher supporters is that students from poor performing schools who have the choice to move to private schools will do better in that environment. If there is going to be a valid assessment of that claim, then once a school becomes part of the program, it must be left as is.