School voucher programs and taxpayer-funded subsidies allowing parents to pay for private school tuition are the focus of Professor Josh Cowen’s new book, “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.” Originally intended to provide parents with more educational choices and increase access to quality education students, school voucher programs have not lived up to the promises, according to Cowen’s research.
The book is the culmination of nearly 20 years of research for Cowen, who, in addition to his scholarly work, served as an evaluator of state and local voucher programs earlier in his career.
What does the research say?
Through an evidence-based approach, Cowen presents the long-standing “failures” of these programs across the United States, revealing the ultimate victims are often children and families from marginalized communities.
Key findings include:
- Record academic declines: Studies from research teams in Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio and Washington, D.C., show significant academic loss for students who used vouchers to leave public schools. The studies show losses in voucher programs surpass those experienced by students in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina or by students nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Benefit to existing private school students: Approximately 70% of students across nine states who utilized school vouchers had never been enrolled in public schools, indicating that these programs primarily benefit students already in private schools.
- Bailout for failing private schools: Studies from Milwaukee, home to the country’s oldest voucher program, reveal 41% of private schools participating in the program eventually closed.
A look at the past and current trends
The book provides a detailed history of key figures, events and policies that have contributed to the growth of school voucher programs, shedding light on how these initiatives have evolved and their broader impacts.
School vouchers were initiated by American economist and academic Milton Friedman in 1954, months after the Brown v. Board of Education decision mandated desegregation in U.S. schools, as a means to offer school choice. However, according to Cowen, they were quickly embraced by segregationists as a way to maintain racial separation in schools legally.
“It wasn’t until 1990 that the first modern voucher program appeared in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” said Cowen. “It was the result of political advocacy, mostly on the right, led by conservative Governor Tommy Thompson and funded heavily by the Bradley Foundation.”
Also, according to Cowen, an uptick in school voucher systems in the last eight years has coincided with increased discrimination against people from marginalized communities.
“As these voucher systems have spread across the country, scholars have seen countless reports on discrimination that’s legal against LGBTQ families, LGBTQ teachers and even legal discrimination against students with disabilities,” he said. “The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has even issued official warnings that parents give up their rights for their kids with special needs when they take a voucher.”
The GAO provides evaluation, investigative services and more for the U.S. Congress to ensure accountability in government operations.
Cowen hopes that readers will focus on the facts with the evidence presented in the book and recognize the real impact of school voucher programs on public education.
“‘Privateers’ is a warning to policymakers who make policy on behalf of children,” said Cowen. “It’s also a warning to journalists who cover those decisions and to parents whose children are affected by those decisions that school voucher programs do not work.”