School Vouchers

             According to the 1983 study, "A Nation at Risk", America is failing to educate her children. The report begins by stating that "the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people." It continues that "if an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war" (Hannity 143). In its 1998 follow up report, "A Nation Still at Risk," findings show that upon reaching their twelfth grade year, 10 million American students have not mastered basic reading, 20 million are unable to do basic math, and nearly 25 million students don't know essential U. S. history (Hannity 144-45). With findings such as these, it is easy to see why liberals and conservatives both agree on the need for educational reform. The question is how. How do we, as a nation, completely transform a system that is failing our children, our future? I believe one kind of reform that we must consider is the use of school vouchers. School vouchers are capable of providing choice, improving public schools, and being cost effective.
             The idea of using school vouchers was first introduced by economist and Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman, in 1955 (Smith and Meier 23). The concept is simple enough. The taxes paid to fund public schools would be given back to the parents in the form of an educational coupon or voucher. Parents could then use the vouchers to send their children to a school of their choice, public or private. The vouchers could be used to pay for tuition, books, uniforms, or any other viable expense for the child's education. However, since its introduction, the idea of a voucher system has caused much controversy across the nation. Both sides of the argument have very valid points, but even ...

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School Vouchers. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 06:54, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/19876.html