Commentary

School Vouchers Under Assault: Arizona Edition

As Robert Tomsho explains in the Wall Street Journal, 2009 is proving to be a difficult year for parents who want to choose the best education for their children.

Vouchers — which give students public money to pay private-school tuition — have grown since a 2002 Supreme Court decision upheld their use in religious schools. About 61,700 students use them in the current school year, up 9% from last year, according to the Alliance for School Choice, a voucher advocate.

But earlier this month, Congress voted to stop funding a voucher program for the District of Columbia. Two other prominent voucher programs — in Milwaukee and Cleveland — are facing statehouse efforts to impose rules that could prompt some private schools to stop taking voucher students. . .

On Wednesday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that two state voucher programs, benefiting foster children and disabled students, violated Arizona’s state constitution.

The Institute for Justice, Friedman Foundation, and the Alliance for School Choice have more details about the Arizona setback.

Here is a complete list and several meta-lists of the evidence that vouchers help kids.

I wrote about the good old days when Democrats were for education reform here.