A Proposal that Education Vouchers for Public or Parochial Schools
Should Not Be Given
The Purpose of this Report
The purpose of this report is to show educational vouchers granted by the
government for students to attend private or parochial schools are unnecessary. In
recent years, systems of educational vouchers have been proposed in state legislatures
throughout the United States so as to improve the education of America, both public
and private. In this report, evidence will be offered to refute the belief that educational
vouchers are beneficial to schools and prove that they are in fact harmful to the future
of education in this country.
The Background of the Educational Voucher Debate
In order to understand the pros and cons of the educational voucher system, one
must first understand the purpose for creating public schools.
Purpose of Public Education
The public school system has proved to be a necessary part of the democratic
system of government. Many of the founders of the United States found education a
“means of preserving liberty, securing unity, promoting good citizenship, and
developing the resources of the land and people” (Good 77). Because the United States
is a government for the people and by the people, it logically follows that an educated
people would lead to a better and more successful government. The founding fathers
knew “the liberties of the citizen are jeopardized if he does not early acquire the
understanding of those rights and the intelligence to maintain them” (Good 82).
However, for many years the education of the public was left to parochial and private
schools with little interference from government offices.
105H Ewald
1
Dahlgren
Originally Americans believed the best way to handle education was to let those
who could afford private school pay and those who could not afford private school to
attend the “charity” schools provided by religious organizations. Unfortunately, many
children were left uneducated, or at least insufficiently educated. The inability of
private and parochial schools to educate the American populace led to the creation of
public education. Under public education, every child would have the opportunity for
an equal education in schools maintained and provided by the state governments with
funding from tax monies; however, sending children to private or parochial schools was
still an option for people who had adequate funds and opportunities.
The Introduction of Educational Vouchers
The privatization of education was first mentioned in a grand scale by Milton
Friedman in 1955. He believed competition among schools for funds and students
could improve the educational system as a whole (Saks 25). However, the issue was not
seriously discussed until the 1980s during the Reagan administration. His
administration backed tuition tax credits as a form of the voucher concept which
bought the idea of “school choice” to the nation (Saks 25). In 1990 Wisconsin
implemented the first publicly funded voucher program for private schools called the
Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) (Molnar 240). Cleveland, Ohio, became
the second school district in the nation to adopt a voucher system (Saks 25). Currently,
both school districts are awaiting decisions on appeal to their respective state appellate
courts on whether the vouchers can be used at parochial schools as well as private
schools. Both school districts have stated they are ready to take the cases to allow
vouchers to be used in parochial schools to the United States Supreme Court if
necessary. At this time, these are the only two school districts in the nation using the
educational voucher system, although there have been many similar measures defeated
in other states across the nation.
The Perceived Need for the Educational Voucher System
105H Ewald
2
Dahlgren
In recent years there has been increasing disdain for the public school system due
to many different reasons. A poll conducted by Phi Delta Kappa shows the many
concerns parents have with America’s school system (Appendix A). According to this
poll, parents rank use of drugs, lack of discipline, fighting/violence/gangs, and lack of
proper financial support among the biggest problems facing the schools in their
communities (Langdon 245-6). From these results it is safe to say the most influential
factor for parents advocating school choice is the poor conditions present in today’s
inner-city school districts and the slow pace with which the government is responding
(Saks 25). Generally these problems are not a major concern of smaller schools,
although it is a growing concern in these schools as well. All of these problems can be
classified as environmental problems and are not actual problems with the teachers or
their methods; however, these problems are disruptive to a student’s learning and lead
to a poor education for the students involved. For these reasons 43 percent of the
American public feels vouchers could benefit the community by improving the learning
environment for students (Langdon 248).
The Solution Provided by the Educational Voucher System
Some critics of the public school system believe part of the problem is the lack of
competition among schools for funds and students. There is no incentive for the
schools to improve the way they educate students because there is no consequence if
the schools perform poorly. Schools do not lose money if students do not learn as much
in their school as they do in another school. Under the voucher program, there is an
option besides the public school system for families who could not otherwise afford
private school.
105H Ewald
3
Dahlgren
Types of Vouchers
The one common area of all voucher programs is that public tax money goes
directly to parents who can then choose which school they would like their children to
attend. The voucher is used to pay the tuition at the school of their choice. Where the
proposals differ is in the details. Some plans would allow parents to choose schools
only from their local school district, others would let them choose from any school in
the state. Another difference is whether vouchers can be used at public schools only,
private schools only, or private, parochial, and public schools. Finally, some voucher
systems call for limits on income of the families who are allowed to participate in the
voucher program (Saks 25). For the purposes of this report, the voucher system
discussed will be one modeled after the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP)
The reason for choosing MPCP as the focus of this proposal is that it incorporates
many of the above possibilities into its program and is actually being used today so the
discussion of how it works is not just theory. The solution Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
found is income-based, therefore families who make more than a certain amount of
money are not able to apply for the vouchers. The idea behind the income-based
vouchers is to help the poor and underprivileged students get a chance to attend better
schools at little, if any, extra cost. When the program originally began, the vouchers
could only be used at surrounding private and public schools; however, the state
recently allowed the vouchers to be used at parochial schools as well. The inclusion of
parochial schools in MPCP is being litigated at the moment because of possible
violation of the principle of the separation of church and state as outlined in the First
Amendment of the United States Constitution.
105H Ewald
4
Dahlgren
The Benefits of the the Educational Voucher System
There are many benefits to be found with the voucher system. These benefits can
be classified under two categories for the purpose of this proposal.
General Benefits
As stated in earlier in this proposal, one of the reasons the voucher system is
needed is to correct the environmental problems students face in some public schools
(especially inner-city schools). Although the voucher system does not address any of
the components of the environmental problems as identified by parents, it does remove
the students from the problem. Obviously when parents are allowed to choose a school
for their child, conscientious parents choose the school that provides the best learning
environment possible. By choosing their children’s schools, parents gain control over
the people with whom their children study and learn. Therefore, even children in poor
sections of town or from dangerous neighborhoods would have the same opportunities
as children from upper class neighborhoods (Pierard 262). The voucher system would
level the playing field and open doors that were once shut.
Specific Benefits of the MPCP
A study entitled “The Effectiveness of School Choice in Milwaukee: A Secondary
Analysis of Data from the Program’s Evaluation” was performed by Jay Greene, Paul
Peterson, and Jiangtao Du to show the effectiveness of the voucher system in place in
Milwaukee. In their study, the authors claimed that children who remained in the
MPCP for at least three years “substantially” outperformed students who applied but
did not get in to the program (Molnar 241). To be exact, the reading scores were 3 to 5
percentile points higher, and the math scores were 5 to 12 percentile points higher on
standardized tests than students who were not accepted in the program (Saks 26). This
report was released in the summer of 1996. On August 14, 1996, Greene and Peterson
printed an editorial in the Wall Street Journal which further illustrated the success of the
MPCP. They said if the results they were reporting with the group in Milwaukee were
105H Ewald
5
Dahlgren
reproducible, the voucher system “could close the gap between white and minority test
scores by at least a third, possibly by more than half” (Molnar 241). By allowing the
poorer families a chance to send their children to better schools, the test scores, and
therefore the education of these students, showed improvement over the other students
who were not given the same opportunity.
The Flaws in the Educational Voucher System
Although the benefits of the voucher system seem great, they are not truly as
promising as the previous statements sound. There are many problems with the system
both in purpose and implementation. Though it is intended to benefit the American
society as a whole, it is actually detrimental to the foundation of the United States and
to the cultural diversity of America.
Refuting the Results of the MPCP Study
Some information not included in the study by Greene, Peterson, and Du which
is, in fact, helpful to understanding the bias of the study is that Peterson had previously
written an essay titled “Monopoly and Competition in American Education” in 1990
(Molnar 241). In it he compared school choice supporters to “a small band of Jedi
attackers” who would “fight the unified might of Death Star forces led by Darth Vader
whose intellectual capacity has been corrupted by the urge for complete hegemony”
(Molnar 241). Peterson’s statement calls into question the objectivity of the research,
although it does not necessarily mean his study on the effectiveness of the MPCP is
invalid--just suspicious.
Upon further examination, the study is greatly discredited. Peterson claimed his
group of students not in the program were chosen at random, when in fact they were
the students who had been rejected from the program. In other words, the private
schools had specifically not accepted these students (Saks 26). Also, he only examined
three of the twelve schools participating in the program. The most disconcerting fact of
the study was that the students in the public schools and those in the private schools
105H Ewald
6
Dahlgren
were dissimilar “especially on the parent education level, one of the most significant
out-of-school influences on achievement research has ever found” (Saks 27). According
to the American Federation of Teachers, if the students’ mothers’ education is allowed
for in the study, the advantage of the students in the MPCP becomes nonexistent (Saks
27). In truth, the study has not proved the MPCP to be a successful program.
The Real Problem
There are many reasons the educational voucher system is doomed to fail. The
most basic of these is that it does not address the real problem with today’s educational
system. According to the same Phi Delta Kappa study used to identify the biggest
concerns of parents about their children's education, teachers do not see the same
problems. The problems teachers identified as most significant include lack of proper
financial support, lack of discipline, pupils’ lack of interest/attitudes/ truancy, and lack
of family structure/problems of home life (See Appendix B). Ironically, the biggest
problem teachers see in the public schools is parents’ lack of support/interest--one of
the categories that only 2 percent of the public see as a problem (Langdon 245-6).
Perhaps this is the most interesting evidence to invalidate the voucher system as a
solution to the problem; the public is identifying the wrong problem and ignoring the
real one. Communities who do not support the schools are not going to have good
schools regardless of where the children go to school within the community. The most
successful schools are the ones who receive the support of the community. Donating
time, money, energy, and skills to schools will improve every school no matter where
the school is located. As one teacher put it, “Parents with money will be able to pay
more for their kids to be with kids just like them. Or parents who care [will] search for
their choice school, and [we] are left with an entire school of kids whose parents didn’t
care enough to make the choice” (Langdon 247-8). Is it surprising that only 20 percent
of teachers would support a proposal to allow parents to send their children to any
school they choose?
105H Ewald
7
Dahlgren
The Condition of the Public Schools Under a System of Education Vouchers
Because there are only 6 million students currently enrolled in private and
parochial schools, as opposed to 46 million students enrolled in public elementary and
secondary schools, there would obviously not be enough private schools to
accommodate all of the students (Tirozzi 64). Even with the new schools which will be
founded as a result of the increased demand created with the voucher system, there will
still be children attending the public schools. What happens to the children who are left
behind in the public schools?
Public schools are required by law to meet the needs of the entire community.
Public schools cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age,
and physical and mental disabilities (Pierard 261). Some other requirements include
teacher certification, curriculum, quality of facilities, and environmental protections.
Private and parochial schools are not bound by policies that control the public schools,
which is what makes private schools appealing to some parents; however, the policies
have been established to ensure everyone receives an equal education. Meeting the
requirements will cost money, so if the private schools can eliminate the costly students,
money can be spent on better teaching staff and tools. The students who are harder to
educate and care for will draw money away from educational improvements, so there is
no benefit to private and parochial schools to accept these “more expensive” students.
If private schools are not required to follow rules similar to those of the public
schools under the voucher system, as they are not required to do now, the result is
obvious. The condition of the public schools, which would continue to educate the
majority of Americans, would steadily worsen with the implementation of the voucher
system. The voucher system will continue to divide our society along the lines of race,
social class, and religion; the result of the system will threaten the diversity and equality
America has been trying to reach. “If achieved, this alternative system will inevitably
105H Ewald
8
Dahlgren
reproduce and legally sanction the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ on a grand scale”
(Molnar 243).
Recommendation
The voucher system should not be used because it truly does not benefit the
masses. The system solves none of the problems the public schools face, instead it
creates new problems. Listening to the students and teachers who are directly involved
with the schools seems a much better idea. People should work together to improve the
existing public school system: however, the most important thing people can do to
improve schools is show that they care. The American public needs to show its children
that education is important--through more funding for programs and salaries and time
spent with children helping them learn both in and out of the classroom setting.
According to Gerald Tirozzi (43):
Vouchers lead us away from the basic American tradition of a free, quality public
education for every student and undermine the kind of comprehensive, systemic
school reform that is working in many parts of the country right now. Offering
silver-bullet solutions for small groups of students is not reform. We need to
improve our public education system as a whole for all students.
105H Ewald
9
Dahlgren
Appendix A
(The Biggest Problems the Public Schools Face According to Parents)
Mismanagement of
funds
Lack of community
support
Parents'
involvement
Overcrowded
schools
Fighting/violence/
gangs
Administration
Use of drugs
Moral standards
Lack of family
structure
Pupils' interest/
attitudes/truancy
Lack of discipline
Lack of financial
support
Parents' lack of
support/interest
0
5
10
15
20
Percentage of Public Naming as a Problem
Data taken from “The Third Phi Delta Kappa Poll of Teachers’ Attitudes Toward the
Public Schools.” Phi Delta Kappan. Nov. 1996: 245-46.
105H Ewald
10
Dahlgren
Appendix B
(The Biggest Problems the Public Schools Face According to Teachers)
Miscellaneous
Mismanagement of
funds
Lack of community
support
Parents'
involvement
Overcrowded
schools
Fighting/violence/
gangs
Administration
Use of drugs
Moral standards
Lack of family
structure
Pupils' interest/
attitudes/truancy
Lack of discipline
Lack of financial
support
Parents' lack of
support/interest
0
5
10
15
20
Percentage of Teachers Naming as a Problem
25
Data taken from “The Third Phi Delta Kappa Poll of Teachers’ Attitudes Toward the
Public Schools.” Phi Delta Kappan. Nov. 1996: 245-46.
105H Ewald
11
Dahlgren
Works Cited
Good, Harry G. and James D. Teller. A History of American Education. New York:
Macmillan, 1973.
Langdon, Carol A. “The Third Phi Delta Kappa Poll of Teachers’ Attitudes Toward the
Public Schools.” Phi Delta Kappan. Nov. 1996: 244-248.
Molnar, Alex, Walter C. Farrell, Jr., James H. Johnson, et. al. “Research, Politics, and the
School Choice Agenda.” Phi Delta Kappan. Nov. 1996: 240-243.
Pierard, Richard V. “Vouchers: The Wrong Medicine for the Ills of Public Education.”
Contemporary Education. Summer 1997: 260-4.
Saks, Judith Brody. “The Voucher Debate.” The American School Board Journal. Mar.
1997: 24-28.
Tirozzi, Gerald. “Vouchers: A Questionable Answer to an Unasked Question.”
Education Week. 23 Apr. 1997: 64, 43.
105H Ewald
12
Dahlgren