Education Vouchers: Definition, Debate, and Impact

A school voucher, also known as an education voucher, is essentially a certificate issued by the government. This certificate empowers parents to utilize public funds to cover the educational expenses of their children at a school of their preference, offering an alternative to the public school to which they are assigned. School vouchers can also be considered scholarships funded by the government, private organizations, or both.

Understanding Education Vouchers

The core concept behind education vouchers is to provide families with greater control over their children's education by allowing them to choose the school that best meets their needs. This choice extends beyond traditional public schools and can include private or parochial institutions.

What are Vouchers?

School vouchers are broadly defined as programs that allow families to use taxpayer dollars to help them pay for the costs of their children’s private or home-schooling education.

"School Choice" Defined

“School choice” is a term used by proponents of school voucher programs who believe that parents should have more options for where to send their kids beyond their local public school. It can encompass programs that Texas already has like charter schools and magnet schools. But supporters in Texas have argued for a voucher system, saying families should have the ability to use state money to pay for any alternative forms of schooling they might prefer for their children.

The Mechanics of School Vouchers

Typically, a school voucher represents a specific amount of money allocated by the government for a child's education. Parents can then redeem this voucher at a participating school, which in turn receives the funds from the government. The voucher amount may or may not cover the full cost of tuition, potentially requiring parents to supplement the voucher with their own funds.

Types of Voucher Programs

There are several types of voucher programs, each with its own distinct characteristics:

Traditional Voucher Programs: States give parents public education funding to put toward private school tuition. In this case, vouchers can only be used at participating schools.
Education Savings Accounts (ESA): States put money in individual accounts for students. Parents can use the money toward the cost of private school tuition or homeschooling costs. ESAs can be used at any school.
Tax Credit Scholarships: States give businesses or individuals tax credit incentives to donate money to a scholarship organization.

Historical Context

The concept of education vouchers is not new. As early as the 1950s, economist Milton Friedman advocated for a voucher system, arguing that it would foster competition among schools, improve educational quality, and provide parents with greater autonomy.

Vouchers in other states

There are 75 voucher-like programs across 33 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, according to EdChoice, an organization founded by Milton Friedman that supports such initiatives. According to the organization, education savings accounts have become the school choice program with the most students.

Voucher programs around the world

A system of educational vouchers was introduced in the Netherlands in 1917.

The Colombian government launched the PACES voucher program in 1991 to support low-income secondary school students in neighborhoods within the two lowest socioeconomic strata.

Sweden introduced a school vouchers system (skolpeng) in 1992, allowing parents to choose between public and privately-run independent schools (fristående skolor).

In 2007, Hong Kong implemented a voucher system for children aged three to six attending non-profit kindergartens, providing HK$13,000 per student annually.

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The Debate Surrounding Education Vouchers

The implementation of school vouchers has sparked considerable debate, with proponents and opponents presenting compelling arguments.

Arguments in Favor of School Vouchers

Expanded Educational Opportunities: One of the primary arguments in favor of school vouchers is that they provide low-income families with the same opportunity to send their children to any school they desire as do wealthy parents. Howard Fuller, Ph.D, Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Wisconsin, states that "we should focus vouchers on poor and working class families who do not have the resources to move if they live in communities where schools do not work, nor do they have the resources to put their children in private schools." It is true that poor and minority students are limited to their educational choices and are forced to go to failing schools.
Increased Competition and School Improvement: Another argument for school vouchers is that through competition public schools will be made better. Competition between school will increase, thus forcing public schools to be more efficient and public schools will be compelled to teach values such as hard work, respect, and discipline. Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize winning economist, argued that school quality would improve with free-market competition as the student and their money would go to good schools and leave the bad ones behind.
Improved Values and Academics: Proponents also argue that private schools would help improve children's values and their academics. Private schools have a certain reputation and a proven history of results. Private schools do not have an accountability to the government, but to the parents of their children. If they do not do well, the parents can remove the children. This kind of dynamic forces the private schools to do better. Another factor to consider is that private schools are not bound by the same government regulations as public schools are and can therefore have more flexibility in their teaching methods.
Diversity and Equality: One more argument for school vouchers is that it would bring more diversity and equality into the schools.
Parental Satisfaction: Statistically, parents of voucher students are more satisfied with their current schooling than non voucher parents.
School choice: School vouchers are broadly defined as programs that allow families to use taxpayer dollars to help them pay for the costs of their children’s private or home-schooling education.
Arguments for vouchers, and who supports them in Texas: Top Texas Republican officials like Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, as well as conservative organizations like the Texas Public Policy Foundation, have advocated for education savings accounts in recent years. Religious organizations and some home-schooling coalitions have also voiced their support.
Push public schools to compete for students and perform better: Many conservative politicians and organizations say parents should not have to keep their children in public schools they believe are unsafe or underperforming academically, an argument that has ramped up as schools throughout the country have struggled to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Financial assistance: Religious groups have argued that a voucher program would make it easier for families to choose and pay for a private religious school, regardless of their income level. Some home-schooling organizations say they would also welcome the financial assistance, noting that some parents spend thousands of dollars per year to educate their kids.

Arguments Against School Vouchers

Separation of Church and State: One of the arguments against school vouchers is that they violate the 1st Amendment which is the separation of church and state. Most private schools are religious and the majority of school vouchers go to religious schools, therefore, government funding to religious schools violates the 1st Amendment. There have been many court decisions opposing and supporting the inclusion of religious schools. Constitution is whether the inclusion of religious schools violates the First Amendment's establishment clause by allowing government funds to flow to religious institutions. Claims have also been made that free exercise and equal protection rights are abridged if religious schools are excluded from voucher programs that allow nonsectarian private schools to participate.
Reduced Funding for Public Schools: Another argument against school vouchers is that public schools will lose their fundings. This would be devastating to schools who are already underfunded. As it is, public schools are underfunded and cannot keep up with the rising cost of books, technology, security, and, salary. To take even more money away would be detrimental.
Discrimination by Private Schools: Yet, another argument against school vouchers is the right for private schools to discriminate. Unlike public schools, private schools are not required by law to accept everyone.
Lack of Accountability: One more argument against school vouchers is ironically the same as the argument for school vouchers. This is that private schools are not accountable to the government. The argument is that private schools do not have to follow that same rules and regulation and teaching methods proposed by the government.
No consistent impact on student achievement: Studies on school vouchers show that voucher programs have no consistent impact on student achievement. Because private schools are not required to administer state accountability tests, assessing the impact of vouchers is difficult. Evaluations of the Louisiana Scholarship program found that voucher students had reduced academic achievement in reading, science, social studies, and math compared to students who did not use vouchers. Researchers found that voucher students at private schools did poorly academically compared to similar public school students. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) is the country’s oldest voucher program, and it was evaluated for five years between 2006-2011. Voucher and public school students were tracked, and they found no consistent difference in achievement growth rates. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), which gave priority to low-income students in low-performing schools, was evaluated in 2012. Researchers found that after four years of participation in the program, overall reading and math scores were not significantly affected.
Impact public transparency and accountability: The National Coalition for Public Education and the National School Boards Association adamantly oppose school voucher programs. They claim that school vouchers fail to raise student achievement.
Drain crucial dollars away from public schools: Voucher schemes are fundamentally positioned to drain crucial resources from public schools and their most vulnerable students.
Discrimination in admissions processes, discipline, and employment: Private schools can allow for discrimination in admissions processes, discipline, and employment. Private schools can deny enrollment based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion. Private schools can mandate religious requirements for employees.
ESAs are often unregulated and not accountable for results: Because ESAs are often unregulated and not accountable for results, they present a real danger for fraud and misuse of taxpayer funds.
Voucher programs often may not be implemented with the necessary safeguards that prevent institutions from discriminating against marginalized communities.
Undermine public education: Some voucher opponents have also accused supporters of wanting to undermine public education and establish an educational system that reflects conservative Christian values.

Legal and Constitutional Considerations

The legality of school vouchers has been challenged in courts across the United States, primarily on the grounds of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits government endorsement of religion. However, the Supreme Court has addressed the issue in 2002 when it upheld the decision in, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. The Supreme Court decided that the Cleveland Scholarship Program which allowed public funds for private education was neutral in providing choices to families and answered the establishment clause question in 2002. In other words, it was not unconstitutional to provide public funding for religious education if it is the parents choice.

The Texas State Constitution outlines the duty Texas has to make suitable provisions for and maintain an efficient public education system.

THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 7 addresses the responsibilities of the state and educational rights. Section 5 then states, “The available school fund shall be applied annually to the support of the public free schools…the legislature may not enact a law appropriating any part of the permanent school fund or available school fund to any other purpose.

Concerns About Special Education

IDEA does not apply to private schools. Therefore, private schools are not mandated to provide FAPE, IEPs, or evaluations.

Public Opinion

Even polling doesn’t provide a completely clear picture of whether most Texans support or oppose vouchers. Claims about support or opposition can differ based on how polling questions are framed.

The Role of Government

Government intervention in education typically takes two forms. The first approach is broad, comprising the institution of charter schools, magnet schools, or for-profit schools, and increasing competition.

The Impact of School Vouchers

The effects of school vouchers on student achievement, school segregation, and fiscal responsibility are subjects of ongoing debate and research.

Student Achievement

The jury is still out on whether or not school vouchers improve academics in students. Although there are some reports on successes,the "empirical evidence regarding the impact of vouchers on parent choice, student achievement, and fiscal school management is inconclusive and incomplete". A report that came out by the Department of Education stated that there were no significant differences in math and reading scores compared with students that were not on a voucher system. This report was focused on the Washington Dc Opportunity Scholarship fund a year later.

School Segregation

Critics argue that voucher programs risk worsening segregation in schools and leaving the most disadvantaged students, families, and their community public schools behind.

Fiscal Responsibility

Arguments for vouchers are that a "an education voucher system should be no more expensive than the current system as the state (or other public entity) would simply send a voucher check to schools for each participating child rather than to the local public school or district. However, if implemented on a large scale, there may be other, less appreciated costs that would depend critically on the design of the program." What else needs to be kept in mind is how the programs are handled. Who would fund the transportation of children, the record keeping, the monitoring of enrollments and, the handling of voucher disputes when amounts are varied.

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