The notion of "school choice" has become one of the most contentious issues in American public education today (Owens 717). Most often the issue is framed as one of parents' choice to seek the best education for their children or one of students' choice to attend better-performing schools. The American public education system, however, is based on the belief that a democracy has a responsibility to educate its citizens, thereby inculcating within them a sense of civic and social responsibility. This paper explores the forces behind and the future made possible by the United States Supreme Court's decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris to conclude that the decision will likely lead to increased governmental support for school voucher programs and increased privatization of American education. Unfortunately, these occurrences will take place at the expense of America's responsibility as a democratic republic to educate its citizens in the broad obligations of civic and social tolerance and responsibility.
The Birth of School Voucher Programs
Approximately 90 percent of America's fifty-three million school-aged children attend publicly funded primary or secondary schools (Owens 717). Traditionally, American children have been assigned attendance at public elementary and secondary schools according to their residence in a particular school district, regardless of the educational quality or character of the school (Owens 717). In recent years, however, school districts have devised several alternatives to traditional public schools, such as magnet schools, charter schools, and school voucher programs.
Charter schools are publicly-financed schools that operate more independently û i.e., more along a private model û than do traditional public schools. For example, charter schools generally have their own school boards, hire their own teachers, and design their own curricula, subject only to general oversight rather than detail...