School voucher programs have been a hot topic of debate for a long time in the New Orleans area. Proponents argued that it would allow for more educational diversity and give parents better choices when deciding which school to send their child to. Others worried that it would lead to the failure of the public school system in Orleans Parish.
WWL’s Dave Cohen spoke to Gabriel Olivier, a doctoral candidate at Tulane University, who is working to explore the effects of universal school vouchers on private schools. about the Louisiana school voucher program and its mixed success thus far.
In theory, the voucher program would allow private school students to get funding from public school budgets. As public schools in the New Orleans area floundered and residents searched for solutions, the voucher program allows the money allotted by the government for education to be doled out to parents, allowing them to send their children to private schools.
At the time, there was great concern that this would lead to an even greater failure of the local public school systems. As the years have ticked by and the data has been allowed to unfold, has that concern proven to be valid?
Olivier’s study found that school voucher programs in states across the country have so far raised private school enrollment by only about 3%.
Not many families were induced to uproot their children and place them into a new school system, and a large component of that, according to Olivier, is the program's uncertain future.
"There's a lot of uncertainty about whether or not these programs will stick around. Having your students switch schools in the middle of their education when these programs can be controversial is a hard decision for many parents," Olivier added. He also noted that the schools that accept the vouchers limit the potential options of many parents.
Related
