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School Vouchers: The Law, the Research, and the Public Policy Implications

Institution: Arizona State University

Notwithstanding claims to the contrary, a decade of research has shown no academic benefit from sending students to voucher schools. The few studies that do show improvement have been produced under conditions that have led to serious questions about the quality of their research. International and domestic research, however, has found that voucher programs may in fact increase funding inequities between low-income and high-income school districts, stratify students by income, race and social background, and drain needed funds from the nation's public school systems.