FREE ESSAY ON SCHOOL VOUCHERS: THE WRONG CHOICE

SCHOOL VOUCHERS: THE WRONG CHOICE

School Vouchers: The Wrong Choice
Susie is a young girl who lives in Florida. Since kindergarten, she has attended a nearby
private school. Her parents willingly pay her tuition, even though doing so forces them
to cut other corners. They do not mind these sacrifices, since they know that their
daughter is getting the best education they can give her.
Jesse lives downtown, in the inner city. She attends the local public school and
struggles through her classes. Her mother would like to send her to a private school,
where there is less violence and a calmer atmosphere, but cannot afford it. 
Then, Jesse's mother learns that a voucher system has put into place for the entire state
of Florida. Jesse's inner city, spray-painted elementary school received a failing
status, so she can receive a voucher to attend the school of her choice. With the money
she receives from the voucher, Jesse's mother is able to send her daughter to the same
private school that Susie attends.
Is it fair that Susie's parents pinch pennies while Jesse's mother send her on the bus
for free? While meaning well, does the voucher system inadvertently discriminate against
children like Susie whose parents must work extra hours to put their children through
private school? Is the voucher system really the answer to the problems with American
education today, or a way to transfer them somewhere else?
American public schools have always had their flaws. In the nineteenth century, colleges
complained of under-prepared freshmen; students who could not write an essay or even
spell. A main controversy was bilingual education for newly naturalized immigrants. As
America entered the early 1900s, the debate turned to the use of entertainment in the
classroom. Teachers felt that they must put on a show in order to keep the attention of
their pupils. The abandonment of phonics in the 1920s and 30s was believed to be the
reason why the job market consisted of those with inadequate educational preparation.
Social promotion and the replacement of the "three R's" with emotional stability and
attitude courses were the causes of concern in the 1940s. The 1950s brought an awareness
of low standards. It was found that American children were lagging behind the average
standards of the rest of the world. Safety in schools also became an issue; incoming
teachers were warned of the "physical courage" necessary to teach. Illiteracy became the
main focus on the 1960s and 70s. Phonics (or the lack thereof) was once again to blame
(Rothstein 2).
Now, at the beginning of a new century, what problems have been fixed? Illiteracy is
still high, American standards are still low, and graduates are still unprepared. Each
generation feels that schools are worse than the generation before. America has been
attempting to solve the problems with its education system for 200 years, but nothing has
changed. According to Rothstein:
Schools are not up to the task of readying young people for the challenges of the next
century. An apparently watered down curriculum ensures that all students, regardless of
whether they have mastered necessary skills, can graduate. "Social promotion" without
requirements to master grade-appropriate skills is now commonplace, so even elite
colleges must run "remedial" courses for freshmen in basic math and literacy, and
business executives complain that high school graduates are ill-prepared for even
relatively unskilled jobs (2).
Are these complaints not the same ones that appeared a century ago? Improvement is
desperately needed, but where should it start? Cleveland, Milwaukee, and the state of
Florida have suggested an answer: a school voucher system. Voucher proponents believe
that the system which they support is a starting place. Voucher proponents across the
nation believe that through this program, which places the burden of improvement upon
schools, progress can be made. 
The voucher system recently implemented in Florida is built around competition. The
public schools have standards which they must uphold. Each year the state gives each
school a letter grade which rates that school's ability to keep the given standards. If
the school receives an "F," it stands to lose a great deal of its student body because of
vouchers. This failing grade qualifies the children enrolled in the school to participate
in the voucher program, giving each student between $3000 and $4000 to attend a private
school (Kaczor 1). 
In theory, the system appears to be a well-planned step in the right direction. By
penalizing "failing" schools and providing for their students, it seems progress could be
made. Voucher proponents believe that by giving schools grades, each one will strive to
be the best, receive an "A," and gain a higher enrollment. However, will it really make a
large impact upon the innumerable problems which exist in today's education system? This
year, only two of Florida's 2500 public schools received a failing grade. And, in these
two schools, only 52 students chose to participate in the state's voucher system (Kaczor
1). While 52 children may be having a better school year, what about the hundreds of
others across the state suffering from a poor education? Certainly, those 52 students are
not the only ones in the state of Florida who were receiving a less than adequate
education. Yet, the state granted approximately $200,000 to support the voucher system.
If that money had been given to the schools, they could improve themselves, so that they
were no longer considered "failing." Instead, they were penalized by a drop in
enrollment. How then can a failing school be expected to improve? As soon as it receives
such a stigma, its students leave and funding is terminated. Ralph Neas, president of
People for the American Way, told the press, "The voucher program is costing millions of
dollars that would be better spent on improving education for the majority of Milwaukee's
schoolchildren" (Whitmire 1). The voucher system implements a great amount of tax dollars
to aid a relatively small number of students. While seeming to neutralize problems in
American education, it simply creates more by denying failing schools the chance to
improve. 
There is another major loophole in the voucher system: there is no way to calculate if
any improvement has been made in the academic performance of students using vouchers. A
comparison between public and private school students' achievements is prevented because
each uses different tests. In Cleveland, where an inner-city voucher system, is in place,
researchers have reached no clear conclusions about the program's effectiveness (Whitmire
1). Without this information, there is no way to determine if giving children a voucher
brings scholastic improvement. 
There are definite problems with the American education system; problems the nation has
battled for more than a century. Reform is needed, but the school voucher system is not
the answer. If the plan would go nation-wide, 50 million children would be dropped at the
doorsteps of private schools. Currently, only 10 percent of families send their children
to private schools (Tyack 2). This small number of elite schools could not possibly
accommodate the boom in enrollment caused by student with vouchers. What then? It is very
likely that private schools would spring up overnight in response to the sudden number of
children seeking to use government money at private schools. Who can guarantee that these
schools will be of a better quality than the public schools which came before them
(Roberts, Glenn 22)? 
If the voucher system were implemented, public school, as they are currently known, would
cease to exist. The tax dollars necessary to fund public school improvements and the
voucher system simultaneously do not exist.
Our public schools need immediate attention to the condition of their physical plants,
the training of their teachers (many of whom teach in areas which they have no special
expertise), the size of their classes and the equipment and supplies they need, and the
quality of their hopes for the children entrusted to them. They need the money that
vouchers would bleed away (Roberts, Glenn 23).
Instead of taking this money away form the nation's failing schools, it should be pumped
into them and put to work. Education tax dollars should be put to work solving the
problems in American schools. The voucher system is an escape out the back door. It
simply transfers all of the issues out of the public schools, placing them in the hands
of the private community. 
Bibliography
Kaczor, Bill. "Judge Throws Out Florida Voucher Law." Tallahassee Democrat, 15 March
2000.
Roberts, Nanette M. and Glenn, Charles L. "School Vouchers: Two Views." Sojourners
(January - February 1998): 22-25.
Rothstein, Richard. The Way We Were?: The Myths and Realities of America's Student
Achievement. [Online] Available
http://www.tcf.org/publications/education/way.we.were/Foreword.html, May 1, 2000.
Tyack, David. "Choice Options: School Choice, Yes - But What Kind?" The American Prospect
Online, January - February 1999, 42. [Online] Available
http://www.propect.org/archives/42/42tyack.html, May 1, 2000.
Whitmire, Richard. "Milwaukee Voucher study Says Public Schools Not Harmed." Gannett News
Service, 3 February 2000.