SED 514 Plagiarism assignment Essay A Vouchers Vouchers Bringing Life to Our Children s Education Imagine a school where a child has a permanent substitute teacher no classroom supplies no technological equipment and no funds to repair the problem Why should we let a child suffer in a school such as the afore mentioned Every child no matter the geographical location should not have to suffer in a school system that cannot even give the child a descent education We need another solution Instead of spending any more of the tax payers money into a failing system we should use it for a good cause such a vouchers Vouchers give the parents a choice to give their children a better education and allow all students especially those who are from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to attend better schools and experience more academic success In order to understand the issue we must first define it According to the Independence Institute School vouchers have a designated dollar value that may be applied toward full or partial payment of tuition or fees at the participating public or private school of the parents choice Vouchers are similar to the G I Bill and Pell Grants which are scholarships funded by the government and given to post secondary students for use in the religious or non religious school of their choice This voucher system has been in use since 1869 in the state of Vermont where it has thrived creating tuitioning towns specifically for these students Children were able to go to private or public schools in state or out of state which paid for by the district Friedman Foundation It then spread to Maine with almost the same concept In Maine they established something similar to the tuitioning towns sending towns It then spread to Wisconsin where the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program was implemented In this program up to 1 percent approximately 1 000 economically disadvantaged pupils in the Milwaukee Public Schools to use their state share of education funds as full payment of tuition in participating nonsectarian private schools CNN In Depth After the program in Milwaukee in 1990 Cleveland Ohio began its Scholarship and Tutoring Program in 1995 It gave 1 996 students from low income families scholarships to be used at any participating Cleveland private school secular or religious Peterson 3 After Ohio made the change Florida also wanted to offer their students the same life chances as those in affluent neighborhoods In Florida students who attend a public school that receives a failing grade for two years in a four year period are given a voucher to attend a better performing public school or a participating private school Friedman Foundation 8 The state of Minnesota also decided to take the steps in creating a better future for its students In 1997 Minnesota decided that parents with children in public or private schools or home schooling can receive a tax credit when they invest in expenses at a private school Friedman Foundation 9 That same year Arizona chose to be a part of this reform In Arizona students received aid in tuition expenses from money that was given to student tuition organizations STOs and tax payers would receive a refund for giving to student tuition organizations or to a public school Friedman Foundation 9 2 years later Illinois determined that it too was going to help the future of this nation All students in all types of schools were to benefit from a tax credit when their parents invested in school related items such as tuition books and lab fees Friedman Foundation 10 Noticing the great improvements in these states Washington D C New York and California are trying to make a change in their school system as well In Washington D C they are still waiting for the Congressional approval But creating these options for the children was not painless Several opponents cried that vouchers were unconstitutional In 2002 the U S Supreme court ruled that parents exercising their individual free choice could use vouchers on private schoolswhatever their affiliation Center For Education Reform 4 But what makes vouchers so superb Vouchers give parents a choice they choice to give their kids the best education no matter what their socioeconomic status or geographic location Parents pay for our public schools and yet they get a raw deal on the schools in which their children attend No matter what job or no matter what salary you receive every parent pays for taxes It is quite unfair to make parents pay taxes are wasted in a school that is not giving their child a decent education Parents shouldn t have to pay for a school that is lacking the basic necessities such as books and school supplies Their children should not be left behind because the school is deficient in technological advances Instead of paying for these unfit schools parents will be given either a tax deduction or a voucher to pay for school of their choice Giving parents a choice allows them to be more involved in their children s lives According to a study by Rodney T Ogawa from the California Educational Research Cooperative at the University of California Riverside parents who are involved in their children s education are more likely to choose their children s schools Also parents who are more likely to choose their children s schools are more likely to use vouchers Ogawa 21 Parents feel more as though they a part of their children s lives and therefore are more involved with their children s activities at home The more that they like the school that their child attends the more involved they become with their child s activities at school Taking the power away from the bureaucrats and putting into the parents hands has created a Vouchers also give students the opportunity to attend better schoolsand gain academic success Many voucher programs give low income families which many of them are minorities a chance to attend the more affluent private schools In Cleveland 1996 students who participated in the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program CSTP were from low income families Peterson 2 The Ohio Department of Education gave preference to students whose family income fell below the poverty line and initially when the admissions process was a lottery those with low incomes were given a better chance of winning Greene 14 58 percent of those applicants were below the poverty line Also applicants whose family was below the poverty line received larger scholarships 90 percent of schools tuition