School Vouchers: A ticket to failure
             How do you solve the problem of failing public schools? The question has been answered many times by teachers, parents and students alike. It seems only logical that those who are a part of a failing school system are the only ones who know the magnitude of the problem and its possible solutions. Now, the government, more precisely President Bush and his immediate cabinet members, are looking to follow the steps of Bush's brother Jeb, and institute ill-fated voucher programs across the nation.
             What exactly is the school voucher system? Essentially, a voucher would be given to select students attending failing schools in the amount of money that would have been allocated by the state to give to the school per student. This voucher supposedly gives the student enough money to attend a private institution. The belief is that a private institution provides a better education to its students. This in fact is true. As statistics show, students attending privately funded institutions perform better in college and on nationwide tests. Sounds like a good plan right? Wrong. Although the voucher system would give some students an opportunity for a better education it falls short by only giving the opportunity to some. What of the other students who do not receive a voucher? These students are in essence condemned by the state to a lower quality education and ultimate and tragic failure.
             The problems do not end there. A school that is performing poorly will not just be shut down and consequently have all of its students receive vouchers. The failure of the voucher system lies in the fact that the school is still in operation for those students who did not receive vouchers and that the school is now operating with less funds, less faculty, and less chance for success. This seems to be an obvious fact that many people are over looking. Not only will vouchers fail to solve problems in the public scho...