School vouchers are government funds handed to individuals to finance their children's education in the institute of their choice. This is a policy championed primarily by American conservatives, libertarians, and even some moderate Democrats.
They think that students deserve to be allowed to make a choice in their education. They often echo the rhetoric of the founding fathers that the American system of values was, and is, based on freedom.
But beneath the veneer of such a beautiful narrative lies a sinister underbelly — voucher systems do not work. There have been dozens of studies to show that it does not lead to increased educational achievement.
In fact, in major metropolitan areas in places such as Washington DC, Indiana, Louisiana, and Ohio, students have had a dip in performance tests, especially in math. In Louisiana, a student whose initial educational standing was at the 53rd percentile would find him or herself at the 37th percentile, well below the national average, again in particular subjects like math and science.
But it's not just in test scores that the inefficacy of the #voucher system fail but in its propensity to take students to college. A 2010 analysis of DC students revealed that before the inception of the voucher program, they were 21% more likely to go to college. A follow-up study in 2018 showed no increase in the likelihood of going to college among the students. Clearly, the data is pointing to the ineffectiveness of the system conservatives love to promote.
But the failure of this system persists beyond its impact on education. It is reflected in its demographics. Conservatives are quick to reject the notion that there are inherent disparities in the voucher system, but the data refutes that argument. In the state of Indiana, since the expansion of the voucher system, enrollment for white students are up from 46% to 60% whereas the African American students have dropped from 24% to 12%.
It also favors richer and more affluent backgrounds than not. Metropolitan enrollment is up from 61% to 69% while rural enrollment is down from 23% to 16%. This clearly proves that the voucher programs are ineffective in providing better schools to low-income families. Yet, despite this evidence, the government keeps expanding this program, thereby widening the inequality gap even more.
This inequity goes deeper than class.
A regular complaint found among those in private #schools is the inability of the school to make provisions for students with disabilities. Parents have often had their child denied admission based on his or her disability. These schools have the resources to bring their facilities up to date, but for some inexplicable reason, choose not to. Why should taxpayer’s money go to schools that won't provide facilities to cater to special education students?
Another area of contention is the role religion plays in private schools. The First Amendment of the US Constitution essentially prohibits institutions from discriminating on the basis of one’s faith or lack thereof. But private schools get a pass via the voucher system. Students must either comply with their strict religious rules or be turned away, which in its very essence, is discriminatory.
The voucher system is inherently discriminatory and has not been proven to be effective in educational achievement, even detrimental in some cases.
