In the debate around improving education, vouchers and charter schools seem to be all the rage. However, recent polls suggest that while vouchers and charter schools have become the new buzzwords among policymakers and educators, the general public is at best confused about them. Charter schools are financed with tax dollars, just like other public schools, but they are not necessarily subject to the same rules and regulations. They can be public or operated by a private company. Depending on state law, charter schools may be free to establish their own curriculums and procedures, hire staff that would not meet the qualifications for jobs in public schools and control the tax dollars they receive without the same oversight that applies to public schools.
Vouchers take money out of the public school system to fund private education.
Vouchers programs have not been shown to be more efficient or effective than public schools. The Wisconsin law applied only to children attending the Milwaukee Public Schools. The Wisconsin law did not require that the private schools meet the educational standards that Milwaukee Public Schools had to meet. It did not require that teachers at the choice schools be certified. It did not require that the curriculum of the schools be reviewed, or accredited by any outside agency.