School vouchers for greater educational equity

Abstract

Providing public funding to parents to pay children's tuition at private and religious schools has been a matter of debate over the last three decades based on claims such as the lack of accountability in private schools, an increase in segregation, and the fact that it contradicts the principle of the separation between church and state. Such concerns are legitimate, but they need to be discussed considering the new literature that proves the efficacy of private schools, both religious and non-religious, in terms of student achievement, test results, and graduation rates. A thorough look at the test results revealed by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) over the last decade indicates that students' scores in private schools are higher than their peers in public schools. NAEP results and the recent empirical studies conducted in states like Florida, Wisconsin, and Washington DC confirmed that the voucher system works well. This information provides compelling evidence that policymakers need to review the private school voucher policies. Hence, this article highlights the efficacy of school vouchers based on recent empirical studies and the academic results of the students enrolled in school?voucher programs. The available data assures that there is no point in depriving students of their right to choose private or religious schools as their peers who choose charter and magnet schools.