Federal Policies for Private Schools

Abstract

The appropriate governmental relationship with private education has been the subject of controversy for many years. Some argue that parents should be able to choose private or public schools for their children without financial sacrifice and that the limitations on public financial support for private schools should be eliminated. Others maintain that financial support for private education is an improper use of public funds, that aiding private schools is unconstitutional, and that aid to private schools could have undesirable social consequences. Even among those who endorse some private school support, there are major disagreements over what the limits should be, what forms of aid are desirable, and what should be expected of private schools that receive public support. The policy debate concerning federal aid for private schools has shifted during recent years. Where once it focused on including requirements for program services to private school students in federal education legislation, most of the current debate centers around new types of aid arrangements which would enhance educational choice. The impetus behind this refocused policy debate is threefold. First, the federal government is funding limited services to children attending private schools. The major federal elementary and secondary education programs include provisions requiring the equitable provision of services to eligible students attending private schools. As a result, there is now an established relationship between the federal government and private schools. Second, over the past few years there has been a significant increase in concern about the quality of American public education and the effect that a virtual public monopoly over education has on educational achievement. Third, the concern that without federal assistance private schools would disappear has subsided. As shown in the Erickson contribution to this volume, the latest available figures indicate that enrollments in private schools as a percentage of total elementary and secondary school enrollments have stabilized. This paper traces the evolution of the federal role in the area of private elementary and secondary education finance and examines critical issues that relate to the possible expansion of federal funding for private education.