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
Student Vouchers Aren't Working. Here's Why: There's a reason school voucher programs get less effective as they're scaled up, write two researchers.
Chris Whetzel for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Opinion Student Vouchers Aren't Working. Here's Why
There's a reason school voucher programs get less effective as they're scaled up, write two researchers.
Christopher Lubienski & Sarah Theule Lubienski, June 16, 2017
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5 min read
School Choice & Charters Opinion School Choice Doesn't Mean Public Schools Are Failing
Guest blogger Denisha Merriweather believes, "Education choice gives communities the ability to use their own strengths as a starting point for change."
Jill Berkowicz & Ann Myers, June 11, 2017
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6 min read
School Choice & Charters Setback for Groundbreaking School Choice Program Could Have Broader Fall Out
Legal challenges and shifting politics have halted Nevada's groundbreaking education savings accounts program. Will pushback there spill over to other states?
Arianna Prothero, June 9, 2017
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6 min read
School Choice & Charters What Does Federal Law Say about Vouchers and Students With Disabilities?
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said schools receiving federal money must follow federal laws, but laws relating to students with disabilities who use vouchers are murky.
Christina A. Samuels, June 7, 2017
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4 min read
School Choice & Charters In States' Private-School Vouchers, Few Safeguards Against Discrimination
As the Trump administration pushes for federally backed vouchers, there are major concerns about whether some participating private schools would abide by civil rights and anti-discrimination laws.
Arianna Prothero & Andrew Ujifusa, June 6, 2017
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5 min read
School Choice & Charters 'Vouchers for All' Program Will Remain Unfunded in Nevada
State Democrats have successfully blocked a Republican-led effort to find a new funding source for the state's education savings account program, which would have offered all public school students in the state money for private school tuition.
Arianna Prothero, June 5, 2017
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2 min read
School Choice & Charters Nevada's Once 'Unprecedented' School Choice Program Is on Thin Ice
The future of Nevada's education savings account program is caught up in a funding fight between Republicans and Democrats.
Arianna Prothero, June 2, 2017
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2 min read
Federal Ed. Dept. Has No Plans for a 'Federal Voucher Program.' Let's Break That Down.
The $250 million grant program for private school vouchers in the president's proposed budget has quickly become a flash point for both friends and foes of school choice.
Andrew Ujifusa, May 31, 2017
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2 min read
School Choice & Charters Opinion Betsy DeVos Is Just Plain Wrong
We cannot allow the new philosophy in Washington to change our 'state of mind'. We believe in our purpose and in every child.
Jill Berkowicz & Ann Myers, May 30, 2017
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4 min read
School Choice & Charters Trump's Budget Disappoints Many School Choice Advocates Too
Although school choice was a clear winner in President Trump's proposed budget, many school choice advocates were hesitant in their support of the spending plan.
Arianna Prothero, May 24, 2017
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4 min read
Federal Trump Budget Would Slash Education Dept. Spending, Boost School Choice
The president's 2018 fiscal plan would cut spending for teacher development, after-school enrichment, and career and technical education, but faces an uncertain future in Congress.
Andrew Ujifusa, May 23, 2017
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9 min read
School Choice & Charters Arizona's Expansive Voucher-Like Program May Face Challenge at Ballot Box
A new group called Save Our Schools Arizona is collecting signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to halt the recent expansion of Arizona's voucher program, which is scheduled to take effect in August.
Sarah Tully, May 18, 2017
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2 min read
School Choice & Charters Most Americans Don't Know Much About School Choice. But Many Like It.
A new poll finds most people know little about charter schools and private-school vouchers, despite the high-profile attention school choice has received under President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Arianna Prothero, May 14, 2017
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1 min read
Rep. Dan Huberty, the Republican chairman of the education committee in the Texas House of Representatives, leans back at his desk on the house floor in Austin. The Texas House passed a bill that would overhaul that state’s K-12 funding formula, a hot topic in many state legislatures in their 2017 sessions.
Rep. Dan Huberty, the Republican chairman of the education committee in the Texas House of Representatives, leans back at his desk on the house floor in Austin. The Texas House passed a bill that would overhaul that state’s K-12 funding formula, a hot topic in many state legislatures in their 2017 sessions.
Eric Gay/AP
Every Student Succeeds Act ESSA, School Choice Firing Up State Legislatures
Spurred on by new flexibility under the Every Student Succeeds Act and by revenue shortfalls, state legislators scrap over who should be in charge of education policy and how to better spend K-12 dollars, among other issues.
Daarel Burnette II, May 9, 2017
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7 min read
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