Voucher Study Finds Support for Accountability

By Lynn Schnaiberg

Most taxpayers in Ohio and Wisconsin support and favor expanding voucher programs in their states that involve private schools, but believe those schools should be held accountable to the public, a new report concludes.

Parents, educators, and taxpayers surveyed by the Public Policy Forum in Milwaukee cited a range of guidelines, from reporting test scores and teacher qualifications to oversight by an independent board, they believe are necessary to oversee choice programs involving private schools.

Because much of the choice debate has focused on the question of whether vouchers for private schools should be allowed at all, less attention has been paid to accountability issues for the programs that exist, the report from the...