A group of Indiana University researchers has released a report comparing the mechanics of school voucher programs in a handful of states, including Indiana.
IU's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy wanted to compare the school voucher programs in Indiana, The District of Columbia, Arizona, Louisiana, Ohio and Wisconsin – all places where any student that meets an income requirement can receive a state voucher.
A school voucher gives state money to a low-income student to pay for private school tuition.
The report found that Indiana had by far the largest number of students attending private schools using state money who had never attended a public school.
“More than 50-percent of current voucher recipients in Indiana have not attended a public school, in the past. That is a huge number.”
The report also compares how states study the fiscal impact of these programs, and Indiana is one of two in the study that do not require audits of the program.
