Washington, D.C. — Today, the Center for American Progress released a new issue brief outlining five key policy ideas for states to limit their private school voucher programs. Currently, these programs exist in some form in 29 states—coincidentally, the same number of states that have yet to return their per-pupil funding for public education to pre-recession levels.
With hundreds of thousands of students enrolled in private schools with the help of these vouchers, some have suggested there is little appetite politically to abandon these programs. However, CAP outlines alternative strategies for voucher program improvement, including:
- Phasing out voucher programs and eliminating access to local funding
- Reducing income limits for program participation
- Increasing accountability and transparency of existing programs
- Protecting students’ rights and ensuring actual parental choice
- Changing the rules for tax credit scholarship programs
“Progressives scored major victories in state House and gubernatorial races across the country in this year’s elections, and the key to their success was campaigning on bolstering public education,” said Neil Campbell, director of innovation for K-12 Education Policy at the Center for American Progress. “This brief outlines key strategies states should implement to turn the tide on recent efforts to divert funding from public education to fund private school voucher programs.”
Please click here to read “5 Policy Ideas to Improve Private School Voucher Programs” by Neil Campbell.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected] or 202.741.6292.