Choice a freedom that many people take pride in is also something that causes great controversy. This is especially true when taxpayer money is involved. Voucher programs, which provide grants to parents of public school students towards tuition at private schools, are currently active in only a few states. It is because of these vouchers that debates over the issue take place. Barbara Miner and Jeanne Allen are just two of the many critics of school vouchers and the effects of school vouchers on education. Although both writers are fairly interesting and demonstrate knowledge on the subject, Barbara Miner's essay was much stronger and well developed. As oppose to Allen's biased views towards the subject, Miner's use of statistics, word usage, writing structure, and rhetorical elements prove to be both inviting and understanding to her audience. .
Barbara Miner, the former managing editor of "Rethinking Schools", takes her position on the matter and considers school vouchers to be both a mindless decision on behalf of Bush, as well as a useless method of reform in schools. Miner claims that "Bush was unsuccessful in making vouchers an outright program under the ESEA."(Miner 3) Miner claims that money spent on these vouchers usually go to individual organizations that are allowed to advertise, an example would be BAEO, Black Alliance for Educational Options.(Miner 3). The advertisments, Miners claims, use many taxpayer dollars that could otherwise go to the improvement of public schools.Miner goes on the say that in addition to the loss of money to these organizations, the "racial and socioeconomic segregation of schools" will exist more profoundly. ( Miner 2) On the other hand, Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, considers school vouchers to be positive, primarily among the Hispanic race. Allen claims that vouchers are helpful tools and that by "diversifying how we deliver education and providing the most options, we can succeed with any culture"(Allen) She goes on to say that "our nation may even be richer for it.
