K--12 voucher programs and education policy: An exploratory study of policymaker attitudes and opinions

Since the 1983 report, A Nation at Risk, the performance of public schools has been increasingly scrutinized, and a variety of reforms designed to boost student achievement enacted. Among the reforms discussed, much attention has been focused on increasing educational choice and competition through vouchers. Many questions remain regarding voucher proposals and it is critical that policy makers and parties with a vested interest consider the wide array of issues posed by these systems. This study focused on specific states where education reforms have led to the creation or attempted creation of voucher programs in an effort to answer five questions: (1) What role do policymakers feel vouchers play in the larger context of reform? (2) How do policymakers react to specific policy arguments about vouchers? (3) How does the philosophy of a policymaker relate to their voucher attitudes? (4) How do demographic traits of policymakers relate to their educational philosophy? (5) How do demographic traits of policymakers relate to their views on vouchers?; In many instances, expectations remained true: Republican's were the strongest backers of voucher proposals, market arguments and accountability mechanisms were a concern to voucher advocates, and equity and resource allocation were primary concerns of antivoucher respondents. In other instance the findings suggest underlying discomfort with, and feelings of alienation from, the current system, as well as concerns about the impact of vouchers on the composition and structure of both public and private schools.