Federal and State Governments Effect

¶ … Federal and State Governments Effect Public Education

The role that the federal and state government plays in the world of public education is constantly evolving. As the way public education is funded, is adjusted to reflect the changing attitudes about how to most effectively educate children. This has led to the idea of indirect government funding, which is where, both levels of government are offering vouchers to give more choices to the general public. In the case of public education, this issue has continued to be hotly debated. Yet, to fully understand how indirect funding programs work, requires that you examine the merits and demerits of school vouchers. This will provide the greatest insights as to the role that indirect government funding plays in public education.

Advantages vs. Drawbacks of School Vouchers

When you look at the overall issue of school vouchers, it is clear, that there a number of obvious advantages and drawbacks. The most notable advantages would include: they give parents a choice about where they want their kids to attend school. According to the proponents, this is one of the biggest advantages of school vouchers. Where, the wealthy have a choice as to where they want to send their children to go to school. In most cases, they will send their kids to the best school possible, because they have a choice. Those children who are from poor families have similar kinds of choices, under the school voucher program. This improves the quality of education, by allowing all students to be able to attend the best schools. Instead, of having to attend public schools in their district, that could be lacking in educational standards and opportunities for the students. (Messerli, 2009)

A second advantage of school vouchers is: private schools have a proven track record of providing high quality education. Because private schools cost more, means that parents and students will demand higher educational standards. This creates accountability at the school, as those teachers who are performing poorly are: forced to improve. As a result, private schools will teach above and beyond the minimum state standards. Where, students will learn the basic subjects and then specialized skills that they can use later on in life. (Messerli, 2009)

The school vouchers program has its fair share of drawbacks the most notable would include: they are a violation of the separation of church and state. Because the majority of private schools are religious orientated, means that any kind of public funding that is used in these schools is a violation of this principal. This affects the overall education that students are receiving, because of the increased amounts of influence that religion will play in their education. (Messerli, 2009)

A second criticism that many opponents make about the school voucher program is: there is a lack of regulation for these types of schools. The public school system is highly regulated; this means that all standards for education are set by the state, to ensure that everyone is receiving a good education. At a private school, these standards do not apply. This means, that the overall quality of education could be worse, because there is no effective regulation of these schools. Once this takes place, an uneven standard of education is applied and the overall quality of education that is being received drops. (Messerli, 2009)