Private school choice programs' success depends partly on the supply of private schools. Many parents prioritize a religious education for their children. Therefore, it is important to consider how religious private schools may respond to various program regulations. We conducted an experimental study surveying a national sample of 354 leaders of…

The education landscape is rapidly evolving as state policymakers enact and significantly expand private education choice initiatives. These initiatives, currently operating in 29 states and counting, provide public dollars directly to families to support approved educational purchases, including, but not always limited to, private school tuition.…

As publicly funded private school tuition systems have expanded, independent research has documented their negative outcomes. However, the prevalence of the programs continues to grow. This brief summarizes the research evidence about vouchers and identifies three areas of policy design that are especially important for student success and a…

The U.S. Department of Education has projected enrollment declines over the next decade, leading to budget cuts for school districts, which will be particularly impactful in urban and rural areas serving vulnerable students. As federal COVID-19 funds expire, districts will face challenges in cutting costs, potentially leading to layoffs or school…

The debate over school vouchers continues as more states offer government dollars to fund private schooling for students as a method of improving choice and quality in K-12 education. Previous research in the charter school sector has found that special education enrollment discrepancies between charters and traditional public schools is likely…

The level of fee remissions offered by private schools bears upon the scope for relying on private schools to provide public benefit. Analyses of education voucher systems have generally ignored the possibility that they will partially crowd out school-financed fee remissions. Moreover, variation in fee remissions between private schools may be…

"Outlook" is the monthly newsletter for the Council for American Private Education (CAPE). Each issue contains information relating to private education such as: new legislation and regulations, the most recent research, court rulings, national trends, federal initiatives, private school news briefs, and more. This issue includes: (1)…

Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) staff created an index of educational outcomes to compare results from state to state. This report is an analysis of that study. A list of the overall rankings is included on the back page of this report. The index is based on a combination of objective qualitative measures. The data comes from national…

Summary of a panel discussion on the voucher system. (MLF)

If educational voucher plans become reality, U.S. taxpayers will find themselves supporting indoctrination and bigotry in at least some parochial school classrooms. The Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, Quakers, Mormons, many great U.S. writers, African Americans, Native Americans, and the United Nations are disparaged or found to be…

Research findings show public schools benefit from private-school vouchers. Competition is good for learning. When public schools are faced with the possibility of large student transfers and a corresponding loss of funding, the schools make improvements both in how and what they teach. (MMU)

The choice that a voucher proposition offers is between weakening the public schools still further by encouraging flight from them and strengthening the public schools by recalling them to their historic purpose of promoting the ideals of the democratic civic community. (Author)

Reviews the Supreme Court's decisions regarding aid to students in religious schools. Reveals two distinct constitutionality theories as basis for the decisions. Regarding the constitutionality of voucher programs, the decisive issue is "how," not "what," public aid is directed to religious institutions. (MMU)

Discusses the complexity of the Constitutional separation of church and state. Citing specific cases, argues against strict separation on the grounds that the Supreme Court has, historically, managed to accommodate the separationist approach without inhibiting any religion. Advocates tuition vouchers for parochial school students as a way of…

In this background paper, the author provides a brief history of the educational voucher and outlines various suggested voucher plans. Included is a discussion of the plan that was tried at Alum Rock, California, and the plans that were voted on in statewide referendums in Michigan and California. The author provides a list of the pros and cons of…