School Voucher Programs in the United States : Implications and Applications for California. Policy Study No. 172 / Janet R. Beales.

This document examines the implications and feasibility of school-voucher programs for the California education system. Following the executive summary and introduction, section 2 describes privately provided voucher programs, specifically: the Educational CHOICE Charitable Trust (Indianapolis, Indiana); The Children's Educational Opportunity (CEO) Foundation (San Antonio, Texas); Children's Education Foundation (Atlanta, Georgia); and Partners Advancing Values in Education (PAVE) (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). The third section presents findings of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), a government-supported voucher program. Findings indicate that more low-income parents have applied to the PAVE program than to the MPCP because of fewer restrictions on access. Lessons learned about school choice are that: (1) regulations block access; (2) parents in all five programs identified educational quality as the most important consideration in choosing a school; and (3) bias can operate against minority students. Section 5 describes methodologies used by states with privately funded voucher programs. Recommendations for establishing a private-voucher program in California are offered in the sixth section. The conclusion recommends that state governments grant tax credits to organizations providing tuition vouchers and reduce business regulations affecting private schools. Six tables, a contact list, and list of target areas, are included. (LMI)

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