This ability that all Americans possess is not always utilized. Many people would rather sit back and complain about the condition of their environment, their communities, and their lives. Citizens of this country constantly denigrate our elected officials, but do they get out and vote on Election Day? Are they active in their communities? What are they doing to help themselves and what changes could these potential efforts produce? The answers to these questions seem to lie along the same lines for most Americans—nothing. Not even 50% of Americans vote in the presidential election. This sig

This is not entirely true. Although a parent can chose a public or private school, private schools are not obligated to take the child. Most private schools require an interview and check academic achievement. If the child does not meet the requirements, then he/she will not be admitted. On the other hand, all public schools have to accept everyone that comes through the door. As long as the private schools have this admission policy, it is unlikely that this will equalize educational opportunities. The equality issue seems to be lop-sided with regard to the admission of students because private schools do not have to admit everyone who comes to them, whereas public schools do.

Secondly, what issues do school vouchers bring to the political forefront? The distribution of public funds, meaning tax dollars, to only some individuals creates an argument. What are the criteria for receiving these funds? Who makes the decisions concerning disbursement and selection of recipients? Are the funds accounted for after they are distributed, or can the moneys be used for other purposes? As one can see by these questions, corruption can easily rear its ugly head during the selection and distribution. Also, being that these moneys can be used for enrollment in private schools, this bridges the gap between church and state. Public funding is not supposed to be given to privately funded establishments due to the long-standing separation of church and state in this country. Some argue that school vouchers are unconstitutional. Finally, by subjecting private schools to public funding, they are obligated to abide by the rules set by the Michigan Department of E!

Some say that school vouchers will equalize educational opportunities for students, while others say vouchers will widen the gap of inequality. School vouchers are supposed to give parents a choice as to where their children can go to school, but their choice is not necessarily the only factor in determining the school their children end up in.

* Teachers in public schools and private schools accepting vouchers undergo regular tests.

Funding for every child in public schools. It ensures that per pupil funding at any time in the future can never fall below the amount guaranteed by the state as of the 2000-2001 fiscal year. The guaranteed minimum level of funding will increase an average of 18% for public schools.

There is no evidence that vouchers improve student learning. Every serious study of voucher plans concludes that vouchers don’t improve student achievement. The official study of Cleveland’s voucher program, by Dr. Kim Metcalf, found no achievement gains for voucher students compared to students in the public schools. The official evaluator of the Milwaukee voucher plan, Professor John Witte, found no improvements in student achievement after four years of the program’s implementation. Also in Milwaukee, Professor Alex Molnar’s comparison of student achievement found that public school students attending schools with smaller class sizes marked greater achievement gains than students in the voucher schools.

Parental choice is a misnomer. Private school admissions offices make the choice of which students to admit or reject. Private schools retain the right to reject or accept any student, regardless of whether the student holds a voucher. By definition, private schools are selective, using a variety of criteria to weed out applicants. Further, most private and religious school costs would not be covered by the value of the voucher. Also, some voucher-eligible students would find that the voucher is an illusion of choice, because no openings are available to them. For example, a September 30, 1997, Washington Post story disclosed that private school openings in the Washington, D.C. area are few and that tuition costs are significantly higher than the voucher subsidy.

While Shields acknowledges public schools offer s

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Approximate Word count = 3236
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)