[quote=EconProf]We all agree that wealth disparity is too great in America, and has been getting worse. My argument with the video is that it erred in confusing income with wealth in several places.
It is when liberals and conservatives debate the causes of this sad trend that we most disagree. I would argue that many seemingly popular policies create or foster ongoing poverty, such as minimum wage laws (and proposed hikes therein), overly generous entitlements that discourage work and encourage family breakup, and awful inner-city schools with unionized teachers and monopoly power as opposed to charter schools or vouchers. The poor, especially the young poor, need to get on the first rung of that employment ladder so they can work their way up, and too often well-intentioned policies actually thwart them.[/quote]
Where is your data showing that vouchers and charter schools result in better outcomes **for students with the same profiles as those in public schools,** and that they can do so at a lower cost?
Saying that teachers and teachers’ unions are responsible for the poor performance in urban schools is totally ridiculous and ignorant of the facts. EVERY study ever done shows that the family of origin is the #1 determining factor for student performance, by far. Nothing else comes close.
