Who chooses? Who uses? Participation in a national school voucher program (original) (raw)

Among the most controversial issues in the heated public debate over school vouchers is the question of which families are most likely to leave the public sector and enroll their children in private schools if given the opportunity. Critics assert that the parents most likely to opt for vouchers will be those who are already most involved in their children's educationwhich, on average, will mean the parents of the most motivated and gifted students. They also argue that the introduction of a voucher system would increase the separation of students by race and social class, with minority and low-income students relegated to underfunded and increasingly neglected public schools. Proponents, on the other hand, contend that any "creaming" from the public school system that would occur as a result of most potential voucher systems would be The authors wish to thank the operators of the Children's Scholarship Fund for their cooperation in this evaluation. Caroline Minter Hoxby and Jay Greene served as consultants to the evaluation. Funding for this study has been provided by the BASIC Fund Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, the Gordon and Laura Gund Foundation, and the John M. Olin Foundation. The findings and interpretations reported herein are the sole responsibility of the authors and are not subject to the approval of the program operators or sources of financial support.