An Argument in Opposition of Education Vouchers

1794 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of education in our country

An Argument in Opposition of Education Vouchers

Why would anyone wish to withhold support for a program that has the potential to revolutionize the, often, insufficient American education system? This question has undoubtedly entered the mind of proponents of education voucher systems across the country. However, despite the pressure placed on legislators everywhere, close scrutiny of the real issues should not be clouded by public fervor. It is my belief that, after a thorough examination of the merits of such programs, school vouchers would be a gross detriment to both the American education system and the nation itself.

In an education voucher system, students are given "vouchers" for the tuition of any private or public school that accepts transfer students. Parents must pay the remainder of the tuition of the school to which they send their child if it exceeds the maximum amount of the voucher, which is usually around $3000. While the specifics of these programs vary, these statements hold true for the only two voucher programs currently in effect, in Cleveland and Wisconsin.

Paramount of issues at hand is that of the constitutionality of voucher programs. The Establishment Clause prohibits a state religion and guarantees all the freedom to practice whatever religion they should desire. The Supreme Court, along with many lower courts, has held the Establishment Clause to mean also that neither federal, state, or local governments may support a religion, including financially. Voucher programs represent direct state financial support to private, often parochial schools. In fact, even the checks in Cleveland's program, while addressed to the parents, are currently mailed to the school first.

Proponents of voucher ...

... middle of paper ...

...ooking to be eligible for addition money. Some political leaders are also supporting voucher programs to please constituents who are, by no fault of their own, looking for immediate solutions to the problems they face. However, our society must be careful not to "bandage" the problem, but instead to fix it.

The improvements made by public schools should not be discounted, either. While there are certainly schools and school districts that remain very troubled those administrators and schools boards are not standing idly by. There are continuous improvements in such schools, and there needs to be even more. Taking money from them when efforts are being made to improve their condition will clearly on hinder such improvement. Private schools are and should remain an option for all parents, but our society mustn't waver when it comes to supporting our public schools.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Development of a Shared Theory in Palliative Care to Enhance Nursing Competence

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    care. Development of the shared theory is discussed in this article stating the comparison of the social cognitive theory and the conceptual model. Stating the need for more education and training needed for nurses to become more proficient and competent in caring for palliative patients worldwide due to the aging population and a greater number of those with chronic illness as well as the World Health Organization calling for a recommendation of palliative care to be a core requirement in nursing education, training and continuing education, Bandura’s theory and Orem’s model were selected as a shared theory with aims to meet the criteria on both the patient and nursing levels. This article goes on to state that even though on the theoretical level, both the cognitive theory and the conceptual model fit the palliative care needs of self-competence and the influence of nursing interventions, empirical testing and further research to evaluate the effectiveness of this shared theory in the clinical as well as the classroom and training sessions needs to be conducted to prove that this theory will be a solid foundation for palliative care that enhances the comp...

    Read More

  • How Do You Love? Deterimine Your Love Type With the Six Colors

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Did you know that it only takes up to four minutes to decide whether you like someone or not? Researcher John A. Lee concluded that humans have six separate ways to love another human been. As he came up with this theory he labeled these love forms with Greek nouns. The love styles or also known as the six colors of love are eros, ludus, storge, pagma, mania, and agape. Many researcher expanded John A. Lee's theory, for example, they found men tend to be ludic, and women tend to be storgic and pragmatic. Also, teens often tend to have a mania love style due to they discover love for the first time.

    Read More

  • Vouchers, School Choice and the Public's Interest

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    Recent trends toward privatizing schools and relieving them of state requirements wrongly imply that schools should mirror the desires of parents and ignore the public's interest in having citizens educated for democracy.

    Read More

  • The Effectiveness of the Voucher System

    2376 Words  | 5 Pages

    The voucher system is a way for parents to have some say in school choice for their children. For the most part a voucher system is a program that will grant parents a tax break or a voucher that equals the amount of tuition for the school of their choosing, which is typically a private school. For many different voucher systems benefits are limited to students in failing public schools, which means that students struggling in a nearly failing school are left hanging until the school is actually deemed to be bad enough that the students can try out a different one (Garnet, 2005). Since the implementation of voucher system is fairly new there is still not a lot of research it is hard to come to a definitive conclusion about their effectiveness. Even without definitive research it is easy to see the truth of the effectiveness of them; school voucher systems do not have a significant effect on the education of students.

    Read More

  • The Usefulness of School Vouchers

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Of course there are those who strongly support school vouchers. In many cases, the middle class is drawn to the idea because for a small amount of more money annually, one's child may attend an institution of choice for the opportunity to receive a higher level of education in a private school. The thought is that with a private school education, a child can get into better colleges or universities allowing the possibility of escaping poverty a reality. The problem with this ideal is that very few of the middle class population can make up the tuition difference that is not covered by vouchers for a private school education, making the possibility for the impoverished families nearly impossible. Though a family may be able to make sacrifices to have the extra money for tuition alone; books, uniforms, transportation and extracurricular costs are not included. This ...

    Read More

  • Just Say No to Vouchers and School Choice

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...amilies are unable to afford the difference between the voucher and the cost of tuition.  Also, few private schools are located in the economically depressed areas where the poor are likely to reside.  More importantly, however, few schools are likely to admit children from disadvantaged backgrounds.  In the end, the vast majority of the people benefiting from vouchers are the ones who are already financially able and attending.  The fact is that we already have an education program for poor families:  it's called the public education system.  The tuition is free and everyone is admitted.

    Read More

  • Nurse's Role In Pediatric Death And Dying

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nurse becomes the confidant, the guide through the darkness, a source of comfort for those experiencing the trauma of losing a child. To successfully fulfill these nursing roles, in addition to roles that must be fulfilled to meet other patient’s needs, one must acknowledge their own definition of death and educate themselves on cultural and societal norms associated with death and dying. It is important to identify one’s own definition of death and dying but also understand that one’s preference does not define the death experience for others. The individuality and uniqueness of each death experience means that one definition of death may be hard for one to accomplish. It is important to maintain an open mind, nonjudgmental spirit, and impartiality for the cultures and practices of others surrounding death and dying. A culturally competent nurse is not only responsible for acknowledging the cultural norms of others but also respecting and educating themselves about the death rituals of their patient’s culture and providing the family with as many resources to safely and effectively fulfill their cultural practices. Education is empowering for the nurse who is navigating the death and dying process. Education often supplements ones credibility with the dying patient and their family which can ease overall anxiety and further promote ones role as a patient advocate and provider of

    Read More

  • Gender Equity in Education

    2931 Words  | 6 Pages

    “It is early indeed that children show an awareness of the message that… females are generally less interesting and important than males are… The (often inadvertent) bearers of this message include parents, peers, and teachers.” (Lips, 1979, p. 128.) The absence of gender equity can be damaging to both males and females. Surprisingly most of the teachers and administrators are unaware of this problem. Organizations such as the American Association of University Women (“Gender equity,” 2003.) strive to create programs that will improve equality within schools. The purpose of this research paper is to identify gender equity issues in the classroom and explore strategies for teachers to incorporate equitable perspectives into the curriculum.

    Read More

  • Separtion of Church and State

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Leaming, J. (n.d.). Voucher programs propt debate over meaning of separation of church and state. Retrieved March 12, 2011, from www.freedomforum.org: http://www.freedomforum.org/packages/first/schoolvouchers/part2.htm

    Read More

  • Hospice and Palliative Care: Nursing Roles

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    Green, P. (1984). The pivotal role of the nurse in hospice care. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 34(4), 204-205.

    Read More

  • Palliative Care in Health Care

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have been a registered nurse at UCLA for 18 months. One particular issue that has captured my attention is the utilization of palliative care in health care. Because nurses are generally at the bedside all the time, they have an important role to play in voicing the importance of its utilization and implementation in the patient’s care.

    Read More

  • The Treaty of Paris: Neo-functionalism

    1505 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hix, S. 2011. The EU as a new political system. In: Caramani, D. eds. 2011.Comparative Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Outdoor Education

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was not until my Sophomore year I became interested, curious and passionate about the outdoors in an elective class called Outdoor Education. Flipping through the pages of my tree identification book, I followed a guide to distinguish whether or not the particular tree in front of me was a Black Spruce or Red spruce, a difference only a learned outdoorsman would know. After the

    Read More

  • Private Schools vs. Public Schools

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    Class Size is another issue. In private schools there’s usually smaller classes, so students are getting more attention. This makes it better for the students because if they need help, then it’s easier to get help from the teachers and to be more focused because of less noise and easier for teachers to control their classrooms.

    Read More

  • Private Better than Public School

    1518 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many decisions for parents to choose private or public school for their kids. Every parent wants what is best for his or her child. A person's education is one of the most important aspects in determining whether or not they will become a productive member of society. Education is so important. We need to look at both public and private schools to find out if there is a difference. Private schools are a better choice than public school for many reasons. Private encourages strong quality teaching, encourages higher education learning, and inhibit the rampant of bullying.

    Read More

More about An Argument in Opposition of Education Vouchers

Open Document