One thing I find interesting is that many of the same talking points and statistics were mentioned at the ETSPJ legislative preview luncheon this past Saturday.

It appears that the TNGOP are all on the same page, or at least the governor and the East Tennessee delegation. Democrats should be so organized.

The Democratic "pre-sponse"...

Governor Haslam makes it sound like the biggest problem with vouchers is that it drains money from public schools. That is a problem, but not among the biggest ones.

The bigger problems are:

1. Vouchers don't improve academic outcomes for kids that use them.
2. Vouchers further concentrate the most at-risk kids.

Economic integration within public schools is a cheaper and more effective way to improve academic outcomes for all students, including at-risk kids. Vouchers do just the opposite.

How to promote economic integration? Housing policy, high performing magnet schools, excellent academics at all schools, multiple paths for kids to follow towards graduation, transportation for kids to access these paths.

What about the 'strivers' i.e. high performing kids stuck in low-performing schools? I am very sympathetic to the plight of all students whose learning is inhibited by low expectations and/or disruptive classmates. The answer is to insist on high expectations for all and provide the support needed to reach them.

As for disruptive students, many times a poorly behaved student behaves well for some teachers and horribly for others. So classroom management needs to be taught more explicitly, teachers learning from their colleagues, benefiting from behavior specialists, and so forth. I've seen it work. Also more alternative schools, not just for disciplinary issues, but for kids who want to follow different paths, technical, artistic, digital, whatever.

Of course there are other proven ways to help at-risk kids, e.g. high quality pre-k, extended instructional time and tutoring, but those require more resources, which are not, evidently, forthcoming.

Vouchers don't improve academic outcomes for kids. The only beneficiaries are private schools who get to cherry-pick subsidized students with no academic or financial accountability attached.

Tom Humphrey: Legislator Comments on Voucher Proposal

"The way he rolled it out today, I like it. Eat an elephant, as the saying goes, a bit at a time." -- House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada of Franklin.

In case there was any doubt about their strategy, there you go.

TEA responds to Haslam's voucher plan...

Here's the link to today's Free Press editorial: