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Wake Up America Research Paper

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Wake Up America: An Education Crisis For many years, children from all walks of life have dreamed of going to good schools and making something of themselves by gaining a good education. This is where vouchers come in, but what use are they if private schools do not lead to a better education? Vouchers have been used in schools since the 1950’s so families can send their children to private schools. Voucher systems in the United States of America have been limited to Indiana and Louisiana, Milwaukee and Cleveland because of all the controversy surrounding private school vouchers. Since the 1980’s, people have argued whether or not vouchers are beneficial or detrimental. Democrats say that voucher systems will not solve all problems in the …show more content…

Taxes are not made for private school, so why are vouchers making it seem that way? Kahlenburg says that “voucher opponents are right to worry that vouchers will ‘drain… resources from the public sector’” (“The Voucher Wars”), because they are taking that money and putting it towards private schools. While more money has been spent on vouchers in private schools, public schools have been facing cuts and class sizes are getting bigger. Even though tax payers pay for both public and private schools, there is a political limit on how much is payed for by the tax payers. This means that no one school will get more than the other. Parents that pay tuition are supported by tax-payers while students in the voucher system do not have to pay the tuition. This leads to an increase in government funding in private schools. In some public schools, cuts are so severe that electives such as music, art, and physical education are cut from some schools (Miner). Core subjects have increased in class size and, in some cases, there are more students that there are desks in the classroom (Miner). Private schools have also taken money from public schools being able to have smaller classes more challenging curriculum, and better training for teachers. In Indianapolis, it is questioned if Holcomb will continue to take money from Indiana public schools and support “the nation’s largest and least-restrictive voucher program” …show more content…

Will school vouchers ever be a solution to better the educational system in the United States? No, they will not. Five percent of Americans think that private schools are worse in academic qualities (Kahlenberg). It is said that “whatever the solution is, it is not using vouchers” (Duncan). A solution is to improve the public school system so that children will not need a voucher. A voucher is not needed if the public schools learn how to teach children that need vouchers. Instead of school choice for private schools only, it should be for public schools because at the end of the day it is about the education of the children. 70 percent in a USA Today survey says that parents should be allowed to send their children to whatever public school they want them to attend. Another solution is to learn how to educate low income students so that they will have the same opportunities as a middle or upper class student does. Just because they are lower class does not mean they have less of a chance than students of other social classes. Vouchers should not be about the money; they should be about the student’s education and the future they will have because of it. Yes, the public is not happy with the current educational system but with hard work and dedication it will get better for everyone everywhere in the United States. But if there is one thing

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