Vouchers
Education news, analysis, and opinion about public funding which can be used to fund students’ private school tuition
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
School Choice & Charters
Mich. Public School Advocates Launch Effort to Stop DeVos-Backed Proposal
The former secretary of education is backing an initiative that advocates say would create an unconstitutional voucher system.
Law & Courts
Supreme Court to Weigh Maine's Exclusion of Religious Schools From 'Tuitioning' Program
The justices will decide whether a tuition aid program for towns without public high schools must include religious schools.
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.
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.
Equity & Diversity
Briefly Stated
Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed
Tennessee Voucher Law Ruled Unconstitutional; Gov. Shifts Strategies
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.
Education
Special Education Teachers a New Focus for Betsy DeVos Voucher Push
The proposed priority for special education grants is the latest push by the U.S. Secretary of Education to embed more choice for students and educators in federal K-12 funding.
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.
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.
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.
School Choice & Charters
From Our Research Center
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.
Federal
Democrats Press D.C. Voucher Program for Information on Student Civil Rights
Lawmakers' concerns come as the Trump administration seeks to boost private school choice programs through a federal tax credit.
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.
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.