Vouchers

Education news, analysis, and opinion about public funding which can be used to fund students’ private school tuition

Explainer

Supporters of school vouchers rally in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 24, in hopes of persuading state lawmakers to approve a voucher program that would provide public money to families to help pay tuition at private and religious schools.
What Are School Vouchers and How Do They Work?
Few topics in education incite as much debate as vouchers, which steer public money to families to pay for students to attend private school
View Explainer
School Choice & Charters Briefly Stated Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed
A collection of stories from the previous week that you may have missed.
October 20, 2020
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8 min read
School Choice & Charters What the Supreme Court's Ruling on Religious Schools Means in Practice
Groups on all sides of the debate over private school choice agree that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling will be tremendously consequential. But it may take some time for the ripple effects to spread.
Evie Blad, June 30, 2020
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7 min read
Equity & Diversity Briefly Stated Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed

Tennessee Voucher Law Ruled Unconstitutional; Gov. Shifts Strategies

May 11, 2020
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6 min read
School Choice & Charters Court Bars Tennessee From Starting School Voucher Program
A court said legislators violated the state's constitution when they passed a law that targeted specific areas to be included in the program without local consent.
Evie Blad, May 5, 2020
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2 min read
Media
School Climate & Safety Opinion The Coronavirus Just Might End School Privatization Nonsense
The pandemic has boosted appreciation for public schools; the next step is greater funding, argues education historian and activist Diane Ravitch.
Diane Ravitch, April 10, 2020
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6 min read
School Choice & Charters LGBTQ Issues Roil Florida School-Choice Debate
As lawmakers weigh expansion of the state’s voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs, some renew a push for anti-discrimination protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students.
Evie Blad, March 3, 2020
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6 min read
School Choice & Charters What the Research Says What Happened to Students Left Behind as Florida Expanded Its Voucher Program?
The nation's largest tax-credit scholarship program doesn't seem to have hurt the academics of students who remain in public schools, a new study shows.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 3, 2020
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1 min read
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Programs Fall Short on Transparency, Accountability
Education Week finds that few of the nearly 30 states with programs that pay tuition at private schools or tax-credits to incentivize businesses and individuals to do so require private schools to follow standard policies used to ensure transparency and accountability in the nation’s public schools.
Arianna Prothero & Alex Harwin, February 28, 2020
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12 min read
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, as Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., watch.
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, as Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., watch.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Federal Trump Touts Tax-Break Plan in State of the Union Address
In his State of the Union Address, President Donald Trump urged passage of a $5 billion federal program that would provide tax-credits to cover the cost of private school scholarships.
Evie Blad, February 11, 2020
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6 min read
Equity & Diversity Church-Run Charter Schools? Supreme Court Argument Stirs the Discussion
Could a U.S. Supreme Court case clear the way for charter schools run by religious organizations? Justice Stephen Breyer raised the question this week.
Evie Blad, January 26, 2020
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8 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Taylor Callory for Education Week
Families & the Community Reported Essay Why Don't Parents Always Choose the Best Schools?
School quality isn’t always the primary driver of parent decisionmaking. So what is?
Arianna Prothero, January 7, 2020
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6 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos tours the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Mich., during a back-to-school tour of six states that also included visits to charter schools, traditional public schools, and faith-based schools.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos tours the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Mich., during a back-to-school tour of six states that also included visits to charter schools, traditional public schools, and faith-based schools.
Jan-Michael Stump/AP
School Choice & Charters Betsy DeVos Tests a Rhetorical Twist on 'School Choice'
The education secretary has been pushing the theme of "educational freedom," a rebranding that suggests options like mixing and matching components to build an educational experience from scratch.
Evie Blad, October 1, 2019
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7 min read
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
School Climate & Safety Democrats Vying for President Make Pitches to Teachers' Union
Three presidential candidates have pledged to nominate a teacher to the Education Secretary position during a National Education Association forum.
Madeline Will, July 16, 2019
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7 min read
School Choice & Charters Despite Fierce Teacher Opposition, West Virginia House Votes to Allow Charter Schools
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed its version of a sweeping education omnibus bill, which would allow the state's first charter schools.
Madeline Will, June 20, 2019
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4 min read
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