Charter Schools vs. School Vouchers

The logo of a local Knoxville charter school. 

Charter schools and vouchers schools are two options in many areas in regard to education for students. Charter schools can be defined as "independently run public schools exempt from many rules and regulations in exchange for increased accountability (Edchoice 2022)". Basically, these schools are application-based and depending on interest, they run as a lottery for student spots. Charter schools are classified as public schools. Voucher schools can be defined as "giving parents the freedom to choose a private school for their children, using all or part of the public funding set aside for their children’s education (Edchoice 2022)". Vouchers are funds that are typically expended by a school district but would be put toward the school of a family's choice. This would be for a private school that is classified as both religious and non-religious.

In my opinion, voucher schools specifically pull funding from public schools and move students' and families' contributions to a private setting. I also feel that the existence of public schools, in general, pulls students and general resources to more schools, rather than pouring them into quality public schools. Schools should represent the communities they are a part of and the student and teacher population should be representative of the area. Schools should be places of diversity in all aspects so that new perspectives and fresh experiences can be had by all. I also take issue with the separation of church and state and public funding/vouchers going to private religious schools and see other legal issues that may arise with this structure. Charter schools receive similar thoughts as voucher schools, especially with an application process and oftentimes issues with inclusivity of all students. However, involving parents and considering individual students' needs should always be at the forefront when deciding what route is best for their education.