School Vouchers As A Legal Sanction

Publication Date: December 2001

Publisher: Reason Foundation

Author(s): Lisa Snell

Research Area: Education

Type: Report

Abstract:

School vouchers--which enable students to attend non-public schools of their choice--have generated heated controversy since they were first introduced as a solution to failing public schools. School-choice opponents argue that vouchers lead to a dichotomy of "haves" and "have nots," wherein some students are unfairly left behind in the failing public schools. This paper will examine the tension between programs that use vouchers as a legal sanction versus the traditional concept of vouchers as a way to empower parents with more educational choices for their children.