Vouching for private schools

The idea of school vouchers has often been both controversial and a tough sell. However, those who have supported giving the idea a chance will be pleased to hear that Louisiana seems to be moving forth with a voucher program of their own. \nThe plan, which has just passed the state senate and is now headed back to the state’s lower chamber, has earmarked $10 million to send some 1,500 low- to middle-income students to private school. In this way, the program is different from many voucher programs, which only allow students to choose among public schools. However, the shared idea of all voucher programs is school choice. Poor students are given the opportunity to leave failing schools for successful ones, a measure intended to give the lackluster public schools an incentive to improve. \nThis idea sounds rather nice on paper, but the results from voucher programs in other parts of the country have been somewhat mixed. Cleveland, for example, has maintained a voucher program since 1995. Despite the fact that its public schools still underperform, the actual voucher participants seem fairly satisfied with the results. In Chicago, a plan to create more competition between public and elite magnet schools seemed to improve quality in both. \nThis Louisiana program could come to have a large effect on education in New Orleans. Voucher skeptics are likely to fume that the money from the voucher program should be spent repairing New Orleans’ public school system. \nHowever, school vouchers remain one of the best experiments America can undertake with its education system. Throwing money at public schools remains unlikely to improve quality unless that money is coupled with reform of the entire school system. In the past, money poured into public schools has not had a positive result. Moreover, American students seem to perform much worse on standardized tests than many students in countries that spend much less on their schools. \nVouchers don’t turn public schools into cesspools like some of the toughest critics imagine. The idea of school choice is not just the thought experiment of some wonky economist; often, the biggest supporters of school vouchers are the low-income parents who have to put up with our awful inner-city schools. \nIf vouchers have the ability to rescue students from schools plagued by low graduation rates, they deserve a chance. However, should vouchers be questioned beyond simply their effectiveness? Should the government of Louisiana be spending $10 million to send kids to schools that other people pay for out of their own pockets?\nYes, such a practice is not entirely fair to everyone. But at the same time, it is clear that most of society suffers when some get a bad education. This comes in the form of everything from uneducated voters to higher crime rates. The reverse – that almost everyone would benefit from an improved system – also holds true. \nThe Louisiana program is, in fact, more of an experiment. It represents an opportunity to 1,500 students instead of a major overhaul of the system. And as an experiment, it’s worth undertaking.