Essay Will School Vouchers Improve Public Schools

It is a growing debate in an area that American society cannot afford to ignore, as the discussion on voucher schools directly affects our youth, the very foundation of our country. Many cities across the United States have proposed school voucher programs in an effort to improve the education of inner-city children that come from low-income families. However, with this proposition arises certain questions that cannot be avoided. Although proponents of school vouchers argue differently, challengers of the system expressly state that the taxpayer-funded voucher system infringes upon our First Amendment rights. Additionally, opponents suggest that the money being used for vouchers be provided to failing public schools, as used to be, and†¦show more content†¦And why should concerned parents support public schools over vouchers? The answer, according to Chase, is simple, as public schools over the past thirty years have halved the performance imbalance between white and African American students and, within the last five years, have raised the achievement level of the nation’s poorest children by an entire grade (Chase 1). Chase maintains that, instead of â€Å"throwing money† at poorly managed schools, a â€Å"genuine commitment be made to giving all children, regardless of zip code, adequate educational resources,† as is the desire of taxpayers and the tradition of education in America (Chase 2). In contrast, advocates of taxpayer-funded voucher programs suggest that vouchers provided to low-income, inner-city students would actually benefit the public school system from which the student left to pursue a voucher-supported education. Although it is true that budgets will decline for public schools with the institution of voucher schools, Commentary magazine editor Gary Rosen writes that schools will only be losing the money formerly used for the voucher-assisted student, as public schools receive per-pupil funding. Additionally, because voucher schools are primarily maintained by grants from the state and public schools by both state and local taxes, public schools will continue to benefited from local taxes intended to cover even those pupils that have enrolled in a voucher school. In theShow MoreRelatedCritical Analysis of Problems and Issues in Education Essay examples1547 Words   |  7 PagesThe School Voucher program was designed to give families a choice about where their children could go to school. The program offered a fixed dollar amount each year to put toward a child’s tuition. Their choices ranged from private or parochial schools, these are schools that many of these children may not experience otherwise. Charter schools were also options because they are run much like private schools. The thought behind voucher programs is that a sense of competition would be created. TheRead More School Vouchers Essay1739 Words   |  7 Pagesthe issue of school vouchers. The two sides have remained deeply entrenched in their rival positions concerning this issue. Some wonder about the practicality of using the vouchers, while others wonder if it is defeating the purpose of the educational system. Educational vouchers can be very beneficial for both the student and even the school districts involved in the program. Many people do not realize the benefits of this program. Educational vouchers are something that many school districts needRea d More School Vouchers The Wrong Choice Essay1473 Words   |  6 PagesSchool Vouchers: The Wrong Choice Susie is a young girl who lives in Florida. Since kindergarten, she has attended a nearby private school. Her parents willingly pay her tuition, even though doing so forces them to cut other corners. They do not mind these sacrifices, since they know that their daughter is getting the best education they can give her. Jesse lives downtown, in the inner city. She attends the local public school and struggles through her classes. Her mother would likeRead MoreAspects Of Education Voucher Programs702 Words   |  3 Pagesexperiences of education vouchers implementation and outcomes Chile The education voucher system was introduced in Chile in 1980, as part of an overall government free market package introduction. 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Its mathematics performance seemed to have scores that increase from the year 2003 with a score of 284 to 2009 with a score of 288. From this point the grades seem to level out, in 2011, 2013, and 2015 the grades remain at 289 out of 300. This is shown in Table 9, Graph 5. The reading gradesRead MoreSchool Choice For K 12 Students1539 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract School choice for K-12 students is still a controversial education reform topic. Choice programs for education include school vouchers, tax-credits scholarships, individual tax credit, and Education Savings Accounts (ESA), provide financial support to families who wish to access private schooling for their child (Wolf, 2016). There are now 61 private school choice programs in 30 states and the District of Columbia (Forster, 2016). 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The CEPR is a partnership amongst school districts, foundations, states, and university researchers that assists in leveraging the large amount of new data about schools, teachers, and students to address â€Å"intractable policy questions in education.† Similar to SRP, the goal is to improve educational outcomes for all students; however, the CEPR attempts to achieve this by building a network amongst teachers around