School Vouchers should be used in Georgia’s Schools - Writing Essay

School Vouchers should be used in Georgia’s Schools

As the parent of an elementary school age child, I find myself with a wealth of concerns regarding my child’s education. Will he receive an education competitive with other schools in the area? Is his school safe? The deplorable spread of drug-use, crime, and promiscuity in public schools means that my child is exposed to an environment that is anything but conductive to his education. Does the school share the same concerns that I do, as a parent? If the answer is no, then my only other options are sending him to a private school, which I cannot afford; or to have him home schooled, which isn’t feasible given the fact that my husband and I both work full-time and I also attend college. So what am I left with? Nothing. But if school vouchers were used in the State of Georgia, there would be one more option available to me that could more realistically be utilized that would benefit our whole family, and many other Georgians.

There is a large degree of controversy surrounding school vouchers. Much of the controversy arises from individuals worried that it will force atheist children, for example, to be exposed to a religious education. Or that it would put more favoritism on religious private schools. This is not the case however. Although, attending a religious school would still be an option, it is not the only one. Traditional schools still exist. School vouchers would create a competitive environment, much like the retail market in the United States.

Take for example Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, and a Christian bookstore. You can find a book at all three of these stores. You have the right to choose where you want to purchase your book. You can purchase a book from a limited, but lower priced selection at Wal-Mart. But you might not get exactly what you are looking for, therefore the money you spent on a lower priced novel was a waste. The Christian bookstore is still an option, but for the sake of argument let’s say that what you are looking for isn’t a book with a religious theme. Because you are free to choose you do not have to purchase your book there. Based on what you know about Barnes & Noble you decide to purchase a book there. It offers the wide selection that you are looking for, and doesn’t subject you to anything you do not believe in. This is similar to how the educational system would work under the school voucher system. You can take your money and apply it to the school that is most fit for your child’s education.

Competition is another parallel between the school voucher system and the retail market. Great customer service and products that are safe and reliable tend to be successful in the United States. Why should a child’s education be any different? If schools had to compete with every other school in any given area for higher enrollment, and subsequently higher revenue, the result would be a better education available to all children. Not just minorities, not just Christians, not just the upper class. All children. I don’t see the prejudice in that. What I see is a more successful educational system across Georgia, and the United States, producing higher-achieving, more intelligent individuals entering adulthood.

With the freedom to choose which school your child attends, also comes the freedom to live where you see fit. How many times, during a new home search, do people inquire about the school system? What if the perfect home in a perfect neighborhood comes along with the perfect price? Do you turn away from this dream because the school system is substandard? With school voucher system, you are free to live wherever you want, without the concerns of whether or not the closest school is right for your child. From my own personal experience, this makes purchasing a new home much easier. During my own new home search, I was appalled at the limited area I had to work with to keep my child in a particular school district. But just a mile away was the “perfect house” in a worse school district.

Vouchers are not about handouts for the poor, or even for the rich. It is about opening the doors to more educational opportunities. Some private schools may find that they have to raise tuition costs to offset any possible spike in enrollment, but they have that right. With the increase in competition with private schools, public schools will need to increase the quality of the education being given to children. For families on the lower end of the income spectrum it means a decent education, once only offered from private schools. Under the current system, public schools do not have much incentive to raise test scores or to provide a better learning environment. They only do enough to pass, as an entire school, the minimum guidelines set forth by the state. But given competition and an incentive to higher enrollment, higher revenue, and possibly even higher pay, you will find a surge in their efforts. Very similar to the way that states across the United States work to move to the top of the list when it comes to standardized test scores. Private schools will not be the only option parents have for their children’s higher education. It can be provided by public schools whom step up their efforts. As opposed to the system today, where your child often receives a substandard education and there isn’t much say you have in the matter.

They say that children are our future. If we, as a country, expect to move to the front of the line in a world full of ever increasingly more intelligent individuals, we need to make a change with our own educational system. Funneling more and more dollars to failing schools is not the answer for all American children. I believe that a more competitive educational environment is the first, and most productive step, in the right direction. All families should have the right to select which school their child attends, based on their own educational goals, personal values, and beliefs. School vouchers provide just that. A step in the right direction.