As publicly funded private school tuition systems have expanded, independent research has documented their negative outcomes. However, the prevalence of the programs continues to grow. This brief summarizes the research evidence about vouchers and identifies three areas of policy design that are especially important for student success and a good-faith use of public funding: accountability, access, and transparency. It also reviews the extent to which legislation provides for new, independent evaluation of these programs, and provides policy recommendations to ensure that new or existing voucher systems follow evidence-based practice.

Suggested Citation: Cowen, J. & Nowak, R.D. (2024). How can states make school voucher systems more accountable, accessible, and transparent? Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center. Retrieved [date] from http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/voucher-accountability