Articles

Florida school vouchers struck down

Public Agenda Alert
Jan. 5. 2006

The Florida Supreme Court struck down the state's school voucher program today, the first statewide program in the nation. The court found the program violated the state constitution's clause requiring free public schools.

Surveys find many Americans admit they are not familiar with school voucher programs; as many as 40 percent in one survey. While polls show support for vouchers has somewhat increased during the past decade, public opinion results often vary depending on how the question is worded. Questions that emphasize giving parents choices about their children's education tend to draw higher levels of support; those that emphasize the idea of students attending private schools at the public’s expense tend to draw less support. When asked what they prefer, majorities say they would favor improving existing schools over providing vouchers.

Often survey questions include short explanations of vouchers, charter schools, and other alternatives, but even with this information, many Americans say they do not understand how these proposals work. In our 1999 study, "On Thin Ice," Public Agenda found a majority of parents who said they know little or nothing about vouchers even in Milwaukee and Cleveland, where voucher programs have been in place for years.

For more detail, read our Red Flag on Education:
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/
red_flags.cfm?issue_type=education

Read the Associated Press story on the Florida ruling:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060105
/ap_on_re_us/florida_school_vouchers

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