Comments on: Tampa Tribune Op-Ed

By: Jay P. Greene

Jay P. Greene — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:27:38 +0000

Kaye,

I suggest you read the study on which the op-ed was based (http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_58.htm ) as well as this blog post summarizing it (http://jaypgreene.com/2009/08/18/special-ed-vouchers-restrain-growth-in-disabilities/ ).

RTI may also be helping, but as several carefully designed studies have now shown, financial incentives contributed to growth in special ed and changing those incentives, such as with vouchers, constrains growth.

By: Kaye McKinley

Kaye McKinley — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:56:07 +0000

Dear Sir,
I beg to differ with your article in the Tampa Tribune. You stated that Florida has managed to “constrain growth in special education”. You attribute it to the McKay. Trust me in saying that is not the reason Florida has had a decrease in special education students. Additional services for students with disabilities (SLD primarily)cost more than the funding provided for these students through FTE and the weighted cost factor. The state of Florida has actually implemented the RtI model long before it was called RtI and that is why there is a decrease in special education students.

By: Jay P. Greene

Jay P. Greene — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:00:38 +0000

For a mockery of the concept of accountability see http://jaypgreene.com/2009/09/01/phony-numbers/ and http://jaypgreene.com/2009/08/25/the-student-privacy-racket/ and http://jaypgreene.com/2009/08/24/lets-get-ready-to-rummmmmble/ just for a start.

By: Mark Halpert

Mark Halpert — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:44:06 +0000

As schools in Florida start using RTI (Response to Intervention) we have seen a decrease in students identified as Special Education.

There may be cases where the research shows less identification, but we have not seen it.

Jay Greene’s research correctly shows that parents are happy with the McKay Scholarship

No surprise — these parents get a chunk of money, their child does not have to take the high stakes FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test — and there is no accountability for the private school student

Governor Bush shrewdly promoted real accountability into the public school system and allowed public funding without accountability for the private school student

A great coup for private schools, a low pressure solution for parents and a mockery of the concept of accountability

By: Thursday reads : School Choice Virginia

Thursday reads : School Choice Virginia — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:38:36 +0000

[...] P. Greene Blog: Tampa Tribune Op-Ed In Florida, as in most other states, schools receive additional funding for each student identified [...]