Early Childhood Education

A timeline is helpful when dealing with a controversial issue such as school vouchers. But before we do that, what are vouchers?

EdChoice describes vouchers as:

"School vouchers give parents the freedom to choose a private school for their children, using all or part of the public funding set aside for their children's education. Under such a program, funds typically spent by a school district would be allocated to a participating family in the form of a voucher to pay partial or full tuition for their child's private school, including both religious and non-religious options."

You will hear vouchers called various names, such as parental choice, education grants, scholarships, and tuition grants, to list but a few of the names you will encounter for vouchers. According to the Education Commission of the States, Sixteen states and the District of Columbia currently offer 27 voucher programs.

This TEDxICC talk is entitled School Choice: The Next Frontier In Civil Rights.

Introduction to School Choice

School choice is a term that encompasses various alternatives to traditional public schools, including charter schools, private schools, homeschooling, and vouchers. The concept has deep historical roots and continues to be a vital part of contemporary education policy.

Early 20th Century: Origins and Early Models

The idea of educational vouchers was first proposed by economist Milton Friedman in 1955. He suggested

Voucher programs have become a subject of significant interest in education policy, with almost a quarter of states implementing such programs. These initiatives aim to give parents more educational choices for their children, allowing them to use public funds to enroll their children in private or parochial schools.

This article overviews voucher programs in thirteen states—Arizona, Colorado, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. In addition, it highlights the year each program became law and provides a brief description of each state's voucher program.

Arizona (1997)

Arizona's voucher program, the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA), was established in 1997. Initially limited to students with disabilities, the program has expanded to include other eligible student populations, such as children from military families and those attending low-performing schools. ESA provides parents with public funds through education savings accounts for various educational expenses, including tuition, textbooks, and tutoring services.

Colorado (2003)

Colorado's voucher program, the School Choice Grant Program, was enacted in 2003. The program aims to provide educational options for students from low-income families attending low-performing schools. Qualified students receive tuition grants at private schools participating in the program.

District of Columbia (2003)

The District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) was established in 2003. It is the only federally funded voucher program in the United States. The OSP offers scholarships to low-income families residing in the District of Columbia, enabling them to enroll their children in participating private schools.

Florida (1999)

Florida's voucher program,