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The far-reaching order aims to redirect . Vouchers typically afford parents the freedom to select nonpublic schools, including faith-based ones, using all or a portion of the public funds set aside to educate their children.
But research shows that as a consequence, from already cash-strapped public schools.
We are professors who , with special interests in . While proponents of school choice , we don鈥檛 see much evidence to support this view 鈥� but we do see the negative impact they sometimes have on public schools.
The rise of school choice
The vast majority of children in the U.S. . Their share, however, has steadily declined from 87% in 2011 to about 83% in 2021, at least in part due to the growth of school choice programs such as vouchers.
Modern voucher programs and early 1990s as states, cities and local school boards experimented with ways to allow parents to use public funds to send their kids to nonpublic schools, especially ones that are religiously affiliated.
While for violating the separation of church and state, others were upheld. Vouchers received a big shot in the arm in 2002, when the in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris that the permitted states to include faith-based schools in their voucher programs in Cleveland.
Following Zelman, vouchers . Even so, access to school choice programs varied greatly by state and was not as dramatic as supporters . Because the Constitution is silent on education, .
Currently, , offer one or several school choice programs targeting different types of students. Total U.S. enrollment in such programs for the first time in 2024, double what it was in 2020, according to EdChoice, which advocates for school-choice policies.
Voters, however, of voucher programs. By one count, , according to the National Coalition for Public Education, a group that opposes the policy.
Most recently, three states rejected school choice programs in the November 2024 elections. a proposal to enshrine school choice into commonwealth law, while . a 鈥渞ight鈥� to school choice, but more narrowly.
Trump鈥檚 order
At its heart, Trump鈥檚 executive order and issue guidance to states over using federal funds within this K-12 scholarship program. It also directs the Department of Interior and Department of Defense to make vouchers available to Native American and military families.
In addition, the order directs the Department of Education to provide guidance on how states can better support school choice 鈥� though it鈥檚 unclear exactly what that will mean. It鈥檚 a task that will be left for Linda McMahon, , once she is confirmed.
in his first term as well but to include it in the .
Research suggests few academic gains from vouchers
The push to give parents more choice over where to send their children is based on the assumption that doing so will provide them with a better education.
In the order, Trump specifically cites disappointing data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showing that , while .
Voucher advocates point to research that school choice .
But back up the notion that school choice policies meaningfully improve student outcomes. A by the Brookings Institution found that the introduction of a voucherlike program actually led to lower academic achievement 鈥� similar to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A 2017 review by a Stanford economist published by the Economic Policy Institute similarly found little evidence vouchers improve school outcomes. While there were some modest gains in graduation rates, by the risks to funding public school systems.
Indeed, vouchers have been shown to to public schools, , and hurt public education in other ways, such as by .
Critics of voucher programs also fear that nonpublic schools , such as those who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. of this already happening in Wisconsin. Unlike legislation governing traditional public schools, state laws regulating voucher programs often .
School reform
Criticisms of voucher programs aside, do so based on the hope that their children will have more affordable, high-quality educational options. This was especially true in Zelman, in which the Supreme Court upheld the rights of parents to remove their kids from Cleveland鈥檚 struggling public schools.
There is little doubt in our minds that in some cases school choice affords some parents in low-performing districts additional options for their children鈥檚 education.
But in general, the evidence shows that is the exception to vouchers, not the rule. Evidence also suggests most children 鈥� whether they鈥檙e using vouchers to attend nonpublic schools or remain in the public school system 鈥� may not always benefit from school choice programs. And when it takes money out of underfunded public school systems, school choice can make things worse for a lot more children than it benefits.
While the poor reading and math scores cited in Trump鈥檚 executive order suggest that change is needed to help keep America鈥檚 school and students competitive, this order may not achieve that goal.
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