NOTE:  A school voucher is a certificate issued by the government, which parents can [use to pay part of the] tuition at a private school, rather than at the state school to which their child is assigned. [Without a voucher system], people who currently pay for private schooling are still taxed for public schools; therefore, they fund both public and private schools simultaneously. ...Vouchers and tax credits are intended to allow students and families to choose the school that best fits their needs. Opponents of school vouchers say allowing families the option of both public and private schools undermines the public education system through threatening its funding and enrollment. (from wikipedia)

1.  How will Louisiana's new school voucher law work? (see para. 2-3, 7, 20-22, 24, 26-28)

2.  Why has Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal worked to pass this new voucher law?

3.  How did the U.S. Supreme Court rule on a 2002 challenge to school vouchers used for religious schools?

4.  How is the Louisiana state teachers' union (and other voucher opponents) reacting to the new voucher law allowing parents to send their kids to the school of their choice? (see para. 11-12, 29)

5.  How does Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White respond to concerns over private schools where students don't score well on tests? (see. para. 16-17)

6.  What has been the outcome of a pilot voucher program that the state has run in New Orleans for the past several years?

7.  The reporter states in paragraph 7 & 21: "Louisiana's plan is by far the broadest. This month, eligible families, including those with incomes nearing $60,000 a year, are submitting applications for vouchers to state-approved private schools." "Households qualify with annual income up to 250 percent of the poverty line, or $57,625 for a family of four." 
All residents pay taxes that fund public schools.  Should all parents be given vouchers to send their kids to the school of their choice, or only those who are considered low-income?  Explain your answer.

8.  Read the opposing views below from wikipedia.  With which do you agree?  Explain your answer.

1. Proponents (supporters) of school vouchers assert that school voucher and education tax credit systems promote free market competition among both private and public schools. By allowing parents and students to "vote with their feet," they incentivize schools to increase accountability and school performance. Proponents argue that the competition spurred by vouchers and education tax credits increases the quality and efficiencies of both eligible private schools and local public schools, as they both must perpetually improve in order to maintain enrollment caused by the competitive nature of dollar voting and the swift accountability that results from increasing consumer sovereignty - allowing individuals to control what product or service they prefer to buy as opposed to a bureaucracy.
2. Opponents including public school teachers and teacher unions have fought against school vouchers. In the United States, public school teacher unions, most notably the National Education Association (the largest labor union in the USA), argue against the idea of school vouchers for concern that it would erode educational standards and reduce funding, and that giving money to parents who choose to send their child to a religious or other school is unconstitutional; however, the latter issue has been struck down by the Supreme Court case Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, which upheld Ohio's voucher plan in a 5-4 ruling.