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
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School Choice & Charters Private School Choice: What the Research Says
Private school choice programs are proliferating as debates continue about their effects on low-income students and public schools.
Mark Lieberman, October 10, 2024
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7 min read
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School Choice & Charters States Are Spending Billions on Private School Choice. But Is It Truly Universal?
More than half a million students in eight states last school year took advantage of private school choice open to all students.
Mark Lieberman, October 8, 2024
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7 min read
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School Choice & Charters Private School Choice in the 2024 Election, Explained
Three states will ask voters to weigh in on private school choice, and another state could pave the way for more funding for choice.
Mark Lieberman, September 19, 2024
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7 min read
Illustration of a person holding a bag of money with a hole in it, where coins are falling out, with a chart behind showing loss.
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School Choice & Charters How Private School Choice Complicates Public School Budgets
Districts are seeing higher costs and fuzzier enrollment projections as more states give parents public funds for private education.
Mark Lieberman, September 16, 2024
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12 min read
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School Choice & Charters Opinion What Is the State of School Choice?
A leading authority on school choice describes recent legislative trends and new research findings.
Rick Hess, August 6, 2024
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10 min read
Jay-Z arrives at the premiere of "The Book of Clarence" on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Jay-Z is putting his weight behind an effort to fund private school vouchers in Philadelphia. The entertainment mogul’s Roc Nation announced it is funding a campaign in June 2024 to drum up support for the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success.
Jay-Z arrives at the premiere of "The Book of Clarence" on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Jay-Z is putting his weight behind an effort to fund private school vouchers in Philadelphia. The entertainment mogul’s Roc Nation announced it is funding an outreach campaign to drum up support for the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success.
Richard Shotwell/Invision via AP
School Choice & Charters Why Jay-Z Is a Key Figure in the School Voucher Debate
Jay-Z's backing of school vouchers in Pennsylvania has public education advocates worried it will divert funds.
Brooke Schultz, June 11, 2024
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6 min read
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School Choice & Charters Video Private School Choice: A Video Explainer
We're tracking the proliferation of school choice policies around the country. Here's how to get up to speed.
Libby Stanford & Jaclyn Borowski, May 31, 2024
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2 min read
Image of private school kids outside in the school yard.
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School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Continues to Spread. 3 Things to Know
New research shows private schools increase tuition when states send public funds for parents to spend on private education.
Mark Lieberman, May 23, 2024
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6 min read
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School Choice & Charters Opinion Does School Choice 'Work'?
Ultimately, the “how” of educational choice may matter more than the “what.”
Rick Hess, May 21, 2024
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10 min read
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton walks away after announcing Texas' lawsuit to challenge President Obama's transgender bathroom order during a news conference in Austin, Texas, on May 25, 2016.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton walks away following a news conference in Austin, Texas, on May 25, 2016. Paxton recently sued several Texas school districts for allegedly engaging in electioneering before the March 5 primaries.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
School & District Management Advocacy or Electioneering? Education Leaders Walk Fine Line in School Voucher Debate
Texas is cracking down on district leaders' allegedly political speech—in what others see as a pretext for quashing anti-voucher sentiment.
Olina Banerji, March 11, 2024
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5 min read
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School Choice & Charters Tracker Which States Have Private School Choice?
Education savings accounts, voucher, and tax-credit scholarships are growing. This tracker keeps tabs on them so you don't have to.
Libby Stanford, Mark Lieberman & Victoria A. Ifatusin, January 31, 2024
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4 min read
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School Choice & Charters As Private School Choice Grows, Critics Push for More Guardrails
Calls are growing for more scrutiny over where state funds for private school choice go and how students are faring in the classroom.
Mark Lieberman, January 16, 2024
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7 min read
Photo of collage of gavel and school building.
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School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Faces New Challenges as State Lawsuits Pile Up
The lawsuits target new, broader state programs that allow parents to use public money for private school expenses.
Mark Lieberman, November 16, 2023
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6 min read
Karl, age 5, stands with his dad, Patrick Bittorf, on Nov. 10, 2023, as they join faculty members, students, parents and supporters at a news conference at Chicago Hope Academy to try to save the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program.
Karl, age 5, stands with his dad, Patrick Bittorf, on Nov. 10, 2023, as they join faculty members, students, parents, and supporters at a news conference at Chicago Hope Academy to try to save the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via TNS
School Choice & Charters Families Lament, Public School Advocates Celebrate End of Controversial Scholarship Tax Credit
The Illinois program prompted fierce debate over the merits of what some equate to a politically volatile school choice voucher program.
Jeremy Gorner, Dan Petrella, and Alysa Guffey, Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2023
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8 min read
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