Finally, tuition vouchers are affordable and have received broad public support in Cleveland, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they have been implemented since 1997. Given the generally higher achievements of private school students, by permitting low-income students to attend private schools, vouchers will increase their chances for better educational opportunities. Opponents say that vouchers would take away funding from public schools, preventing them from improving their programs. However, Bush's voucher plan allows public schools to raise their standards before they lose federal funds. Each state would adopt standardized tests to measure student achievement.
Competition offers an incentive for improvement.
Less wealthy parents do not have the resources to move to better neighborhoods and send their children to more academically rigorous schools. The voucher program offers these families the resources to provide better educations for their children. Voucher programs will increase competition between private and public schools, which will result in higher standards and improved quality. At a certain point, public school teachers will go elsewhere for higher wages and better working conditions. Voucher programs have proven to be an enormous incentive for public schools to improve student performance to compete for federal funds.