Essay on School Vouchers

In 1989, Wisconsin’s more modern voucher programs, focused on poor children of all races. (Save our Schools NJ, 2014).  Regardless of the nature of the voucher program, the impact is the same- taxpayer funds being diverted from public school funding.

In the United States, getting an education is very important. Children spend thirteen years of their life learning English, history, math, science, and various other subjects so that they may one day be a productive college student or a working class citizen. In fact, “There are 33,619 private schools in the United States, serving 5.4 million PK-12 students. Private schools account for 25 percent of the nation’s schools and enroll 10 percent of all PK-12 students” (“Council for American Private Education”). Parents face many issues when deciding which school is right for their child. However, the factors that determine their choice of a private or public school are often the results of various essentials that closely mirror the parent’s ideology in regards to education. Parents should send their children to a private school because private schools have smaller class sizes, the curriculum is more challenging, and the school environment is much safer than public schools.

Many advocates and policymakers of housing for the poor believe that to achieve optimal human development of low-income households the location of the housing must be considered as well as the quality of the housing unit (Newman, 2008).

If the education system relies most of their funding from taxes, where do they end up getting the rest of the money. The government and administration grant more money to wealthier areas than low -income areas. Wealthier communities are granted more money because they have a higher percentage of funding coming from property taxes. This leaves the low-income students at a disadvantage. People living in low income areas mainly rent and don’t own their own property. As a result of not having a house or owning property, they have little property taxes. If low -income students are not given enough money for funding a school, the students are suffering. With the lack of money causes students to miss out on college prep classes such as AP classes and Honors classes. These classes are pivotal to the students that want to pursue higher education and a road to success. For example students in the low-income areas are given a poor education. They are not given the resources, or quality teachers in order to achieve success. According to George Miller House Education and the Workforce committee, many students are not educationally ready to graduate and attend higher education (Minority 1). This is another reason why low income students should be provided the same classes as a middle class or a wealthier community. In a study, 2 million students in 7,300 schools had no access to all calculus classes, a staple in many high – achieving high schools (Minority 2). Low-income

The idea of school vouchers sounds like a wonderful idea to get children the best possible education, until the issue is analyzed more closely. In reality, this system is hurting more children than the ones that they are helping. The people and institutions that do not support the use of vouchers believe that by taking away funds from the already failing public school system, it is causing a decrease in the level of education for children in public schools. With new initiatives like the “No Child Left Behind” campaign causing and the greater demands on teachers and children there is not room for a cut in funding (Traub 13). There are also increasing amounts of standardized tests, with guidelines that teachers

This paper argues that school vouchers can have a tremendous impact on incentives and performances Depends on the type of voucher. Two types exist. The ‘voucher shock” and the “threat of vouchers.” Many people are against school vouchers. The argument is that the vouchers are a violation of constitutional rights. That spending funding and forcing schools to behave a certain way is unethical. However, many are supportive of the school voucher program. Parents feel that if a school is not up to par perhaps loosing students and perhaps closing the doors is the best choice. Many believe that children have a right to education and to decide exactly how the citizens tax dollars toward education are being spent and if the youth are educated properly.

Since the 1980s, charter schools have allowed families to exercise school choice, a practice that had begun a few decades earlier when parents preferred to control their children’s education because of religious views or racial prejudices. As dissatisfaction with the performance public schools grew during the late 20th century, parents called on government to subsidize an arrangement where children could receive adequate education outside of the traditional public school system. Thus, two major school choice devices emerged: charter schools, privately run schools that receive public funding, and tuition vouchers, which cover some or all of tuition at participating private schools.

Not all public schools provide education at an equal caliber; many districts, particularly in small towns and inner cities, lack the education to provide students with the same quality students receive elsewhere. In these cases, students are confined by invisible zoning lines to schools that do not offer the same opportunities that leave students without help. Because of this, vouchers were invented -- vouchers intend to help those students by giving them the necessary funding to attend private or charter schools. Vouchers programs promise to provide all students with the opportunity for a better education. These good intentions look extremely well on paper, when many real-life factors are not take into account. However, the truth of the matter is this: when implemented into America’s education system in real-life, voucher programs fail miserably for a multitude of reasons, starting with where the money for vouchers comes from: public education

Home schooler’s are also lumped in to the voucher opposition. Parents granted funds under a voucher plan do not have to account for how those funds are spent and whether those expenditures actually contribute to the child’s learning (“Vouchers”, 2017).

The article “The Wrong Ruling on Vouchers” argues that continuing Cleveland’s controversial voucher program is a “bad decision on Constitutional grounds, and a bad one for American education” (Unknown 2002 NP).

Education is a very important part of a person’s life. Every parent want the best thing for their children. They want their children to be happy and to be able to achieve their dreams and be what they want to be, which is why they want the best education for their children. Because, almost everyone would agree that being well – educated is the closest way to success life and good future. But, their desire to send their kids to the best school have to face many obstacles. One of these obstacles would be choosing school for their kids. In the U.S., there are three types of school: public school, charter school and private school. Private schools are usually very selective, has better performance than government-funded school and has expensive tuition fee. Rich families would send their kids to private schools because they could afford the expense. However, for a normal family, paying the expense for private schools would be overwhelming. So, there options are narrowed between charter schools and public schools. There have been many debates on whether charter schools or public schools provide students with better education. But, there are obvious evidences that charter schools are generally better than public schools:

Many students entering college may discover that they are not prepared for college curriculum courses. These students enter college courses facing a major issue. They find that high school has not adequately prepared them for the difficulty of college level courses. These students lacked the sufficient basis in being well equipped for advanced careers and college entry. These students have suffered a great inequality prevalent throughout high schools since several high schools do not receive equivalent aid. The unequal funding in high schools prevents students from attaining the same education that other students in different areas may receive. Unequal school funding in secondary schools

In the United States, public schools get their funding from their respective state. As a student, it can be seen as concerning when one compares how much states spend on their schools. Many schools are inadequate in both an aspect of safety and effectiveness of the learning environment. As a result of inadequate subsidy across America, schools resort to taking drastic measures. Not only are the unequal sources of subsidy a difficulty, but the concept and execution of budget cuts also exacerbate the issue. In order to give every student in America equal opportunities for success, funding should be controlled by the federal government with a policy that enforces equity rather than equality. This is also a viable option that could be carried

School Choice has gained popularity recently and shows potential in beneficial alternative options. The first supporting reason showing this, how vouchers put educational choices for children in the hands of the people who care the most; the parents. (Charlotte, Hays n/a) Evidence showing how the statement is true is the voucher program was developed in the 1980s to give low-income families more choice in where their kids go to school. Upper class families already have this choice. Therefore, the original voucher program got designed specifically for the choice of the parents. Having this option of vouchers, allow parents to be guides with power to where they so

Education in the United States is now declining. Although our universities are top notch, our lower education public schools are struggling more than ever to compete with the international schooling system. Some propose a voucher plan that would allow certain parents a small choice in the school their children are able to attend. This voucher would be used for tuition along with other costs at a school the parent chooses, but public schools would charge tuition and remain competitive with other schools to