Op-Ed #1: Vouchers and the Disappearance of Civil Rights Protections

• In Event: The School Voucher Illusion: Exposing the Pretense of Equity

Abstract

Most anti-discrimination and civil rights protections are created by attaching strings to funding. In the U.S., private school voucher programs are created and funded by states, with the single exception of Washington DC’s voucher program, which is funded by Congress. Accordingly, the nation’s many voucher and voucher-like policies overwhelmingly do not rely on federal funding; unless the private school accepts federal money (e.g., through the federal lunch program), any conditions attached to the funding would be put in place by the relevant state (Author, 2016; Prothero & Ujifusa, 2017).

To date, state laws are a jumble, with some protections commonly put in place, some protections completely absent, and a great deal of variation from state to state. Overall, when students use vouchers to move from public to private school, they lose important anti-discrimination protections. This op-ed explains that dilemma attached to the expansion of vouchers: more parental choice entails fewer and weaker protections against discrimination and violations of civil rights. It concludes with policy recommendations that lay a foundation for how voucher program policies could better protect the civil rights of students who attend private schools.

Authors

• Kevin G. Welner, University of Colorado - Boulder
  Presenting Author

• Preston C. Green, University of Connecticut
  Presenting Author