Actually...

I think I'm on the side of the majority this time. I think that, whereas there may be students that cannot achieve the level of education they want in their public schools, most of the time it is the parents that force their children to attend private schools. As already noted in a few other posts, private schools do not show a very high increase in educational benefit, and often times, they prevent common public school interactions, such as between a diverse population. Thus, I think that the money should instead be put into public schools, to help a wider range of students, and maybe to guide those who want more of a challenge to independently pursue it.

My beef with vouchers does not necessarily end there, however. It was noted that the vouchers had a high spike in applicants after religious based private schools were allowed to qualify. I definitely think this violates the separation of church and state. In religious based private schools, students often times are required to take religion courses. Whereas it did state that if accepted for a voucher, the student would not be required to take the religious courses and pray, I think that a lot of people chose these schools for their religious benefits, and not for curricular enhancement. (Even though that might have been in the back of their mind) Normally I don't have a problem with this sort of thing, such as getting federal loans and grants for attending religious based colleges, but in lower education, there is a dire emphasis on the religious aspects of learning, and that is where my hesitation lies.

It seems as if this is a cheap attempt by the government to fix the problem, to band-aid it like usual. They are leaving the option open for those who want to 'advance' to private schools, whilst leaving the rest of the student population behind. Then again, my school is not necessarily the best example of motivation. A lot of students who attended my high school simply did not care about learning, about school, and I doubt if any of them remain in college. (A lot of them simply got into college on athletic scholarships) Many would say that the 'No Child Left Behind' program is the fix, designed to raise the level of education in public schools, but I think it takes a backwards attempt. ("praising" those who do poorly in the form of money, "scolding" those who do well in the form of less funding)