{"id":2189956,"date":"2024-03-01T08:17:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T13:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/educational-group-calls-invest-in-kids-test-scores-report-deeply-flawed-2\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T08:21:46","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T13:21:46","slug":"educational-group-calls-invest-in-kids-test-scores-report-deeply-flawed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/educational-group-calls-invest-in-kids-test-scores-report-deeply-flawed-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Educational group criticizes Invest in Kids test scores report as deeply flawed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feducational-group-calls-invest-in-kids-test-scores-report-deeply-flawed-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2189956&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>An Educational Nonprofit Criticizes\u200b Report on Illinois Tax \u2063Credit Scholarship Recipients<\/h2>\n<p>An educational nonprofit organization is highly critical of a recent report\u2063 on\u2062 the test scores\u2064 of Illinois tax credit\u2062 scholarship \u2064recipients. \u2062The report, conducted \u200dfor the Illinois State Board of Education by WestEd, has been deemed meaningless by Empower Illinois due to a lack of proper context.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cOur issue with that is\u200b in the Invest in \u200bKids Act,\u200c in the literal law, \u200cit says that they are supposed\u200b to compare our\u2062 low-income scholarship students to public\u200d school students of a similar socioeconomic background\u200d and they did not do that,\u201d \u2063said Empower Illinois \u200bExecutive \u200bDirector\u2062 Bobby Sylvester.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sylvester further explained\u200b that according to\u200c Illinois State Board of Education data, Invest in Kids recipients\u2063 actually outperformed their\u2062 low-income\u2062 counterparts in almost every category.<\/p>\n<p>An ISBE spokesperson responded, stating that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-elon-musk-moving-into-xinjiang-proves-american-anti-slavery-push-failed\/\" title=\"China: Elon Musk Moving into Xinjiang Proves American Anti-Slavery Push Failed\">independent research organization<\/a> conducting \u2063the\u200d report\u200c was unable to \u200dcollect\u2063 demographic data on scholarship recipients. As a result, \u200cthey could only compare averages of all \u200cscholarship recipients to averages of all public school students.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cISBE has not conducted any validation of \u2064the results, so \u2064we cannot comment on the study except to echo WestEd\u2062 in urging caution \u2062in interpreting the \u200cresults, since the data limitations prevented any apples-to-apples comparisons,\u201d said Jackie \u200dMatthews, executive director of \u2064Communications with \u200cISBE.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Invest\u2063 in Kids program expired in December, but Sylvester remains confident that Illinois lawmakers \u2062will address \u200cthe program in \u200cthe upcoming spring session.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe know that\u2064 legislators have been hearing from many \u200dof the scholarship parents\u200b who are facing some really difficult\u200b choices now that \u2062the\u2064 rug has been pulled out from underneath them,\u201d Sylvester added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Since its inception, the\u2064 program has awarded nearly 41,000 scholarships statewide.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How has the availability of \u2063scholarships through the program benefited low-income students, as argued by the\u200b educational nonprofit?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2063 Has criticized\u2062 a recent \u200breport on Illinois Tax \u200bCredit\u200b Scholarship \u2064recipients, arguing that it has mischaracterized and misconstrued the impact of\u2062 the program. The\u200b report, released\u200d by an independent research organization, claimed that the scholarship \u2063program did not benefit low-income \u2064students as intended, and \u2062instead primarily helped affluent families.<\/p>\n<p>The Tax Credit Scholarship program \u200cin Illinois allows individuals and corporations to receive a tax credit for donations made \u200cto scholarship-granting organizations. These organizations then provide scholarships to eligible students, allowing them to \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/la-sen-bill-cassidy-this-admin-is-betraying-the-most-vulnerable-children-in-the-country\/\" title=\"La. Sen. Bill Cassidy: This admin. is betraying the most vulnerable children in the country\">attend private schools<\/a>\u2063 of their choice.\u200b The program was established in \u20622017 and has since provided\u200b thousands \u2063of \u200dscholarships to students across the state.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062report, however, suggests that the program disproportionately benefits wealthy\u200d families. It \u200bpoints out that a significant \u2062number of scholarship recipients come from \u2063families \u2064that are not classified as low-income according to federal \u2063poverty guidelines. It \u2062also argues that some students who \u2062were already \u2064attending private\u200d schools received scholarships, further benefiting \u200daffluent families.<\/p>\n<p>While these findings may raise \u2063legitimate concerns\u200c about \u2062the fairness and effectiveness of the \u200cprogram, the \u200deducational\u200d nonprofit\u2062 argues that the report fails to consider certain important factors. It asserts that the program is designed to \u2064provide educational \u2063opportunities to students\u2064 from a wide range of income backgrounds, not just those in the \u200blowest income bracket. By offering scholarships to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-education-lesson-from-covid-lockdowns-school-choice-is-imperative-for-every-child\/\" title=\"The Education Lesson from COVID Lockdowns: School Choice Is Imperative for Every Child\">middle-income families<\/a> as\u200d well, the \u200dprogram aims to provide choices and opportunities to a broader segment of the population.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the\u200b nonprofit emphasizes that the report overlooks the positive impact \u200bthe program has had on low-income students. It argues that the\u200d availability of scholarships has allowed many\u200d students from\u2062 disadvantaged backgrounds to\u2063 access quality education \u200dthat was previously \u2062beyond their reach.\u200d By \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-key-policy-areas-where-the-democratic-leadership-and-black-voters-disagree\/\" title=\"4 Key Policy Areas Where The Democratic Leadership And Black Voters Disagree\">attending private schools<\/a>, these students have\u2063 been able to receive a personalized and\u200c well-rounded education that meets their individual needs.<\/p>\n<p>The educational nonprofit \u2064also highlights that the report&#8217;s focus on students who were already attending private\u200c schools fails to \u200backnowledge the potential benefits\u200c for these students. By receiving scholarships, these \u200dstudents may have experienced improved educational outcomes and a more enriching learning environment. It is important to recognize that the program aims to provide opportunities for all\u200b students, regardless of their current educational situation.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the report, the educational nonprofit advocates for a more comprehensive and nuanced\u200b evaluation of the program&#8217;s impact. It \u200csuggests considering \u200bthe long-term effects on students&#8217; academic \u200dachievements,\u2063 graduation rates, and \u200bcollege enrollment. It\u200b also \u2063calls\u2063 for analyzing the program&#8217;s\u2062 impact on the \u200cschool choice \u200clandscape and its role in \u200dpromoting competition and innovation \u2062in education.<\/p>\n<p>Critiques and evaluations of \u2064educational programs are\u200d necessary\u200d to \u2062ensure their continued improvement and effectiveness. However, it is essential to conduct\u200b these analyses with fairness,\u2063 accuracy, and a comprehensive understanding of the program&#8217;s goals \u2062and mechanisms. The\u2062 critics \u200cof the Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship program should\u200c collaborate with educators, policymakers, and \u200bstakeholders to conduct a more thorough and balanced study that takes into account all\u200b relevant factors.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the\u2063 recent report on Illinois Tax\u200d \u200bCredit Scholarship recipients has\u2062 been criticized \u200dby an educational nonprofit for\u2062 its \u2062mischaracterization and misinterpretation of the\u2064 program&#8217;s impact. While the concerns raised by the report are valid, it is \u200bimportant to consider the program&#8217;s aim\u200c of providing \u200beducational opportunities to a wide range of students. The educational nonprofit highlights the positive\u200c impact the program has \u2063had\u200c on \u200clow-income students and calls for a \u200cmore comprehensive evaluation to ensure a fair \u2063assessment \u2064of its effectiveness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An educational nonprofit, Empower Illinois, strongly criticizes a report on Illinois tax credit scholarship recipients&#8217; test scores. The report, conducted by WestEd for the Illinois State Board of Education, compares low-income Invest in Kids scholarship recipients to all Illinois public school students. Empower Illinois argues that this renders the results meaningless<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2189957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/empty-classroom-photo-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2189956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/empty-classroom-photo-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2189956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2189957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2189956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2189956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2189956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}