Debates of the Century @NYU Wagner: “Public funds should be used to support private school vouchers.”

Debates of the Century @NYU Wagner: School Vouchers

The Century Foundation and NYU Wagner are proud to present Debates of the Century @NYU Wagner, a public debate series showcasing thoughtful, informed dialogue from experts. Join us on  April 25, 2017 to hear experts on school vouchers debate the resolution:

“Public funds should be used to support private school vouchers.”

Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia currently have private school choice programs. Proponents of vouchers point out that low-income children—too often stuck in failing public schools—deserve the opportunity to choose superior private options just like their more affluent peers. Skeptics observe that private school vouchers divert funding from public schools, voucher students’ academic outcomes are difficult to measure or inconsistent, and some students might lose certain civil rights protections in private schools. What are the risks and rewards of using public money to fund private schooling? Who benefits, and who gets left behind? Join us for a debate on private school vouchers to hear the answers to these questions and more.

This debate will feature:

For the motion: Michael Petrilli, President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution

Against the motion: Richard D. Kahlenberg, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation