Under The Law: Vouchers and the future of public education

Abstract

Until recently, few states offered vouchers to help families pay for private schools. But over the last two years, more states have begun enacting “universal” voucher laws, which permit any school-age child in the state to attend private schools using taxpayer funds that would or could otherwise support public education. Robert Kim and Jessica Levin discuss the legal and political trends undergirding the voucher movement and why the growth of vouchers will negatively affect public schools without offering help to the students who most need it.