Teachers raise concerns over school choice programs and support for marginalized students

Teacher Tapp, a survey application focused on educators, announced a number of teachers are concerned about inequities in education, particularly affecting marginalized students. Teacher Tapp made that announcement in a blog post. 

According to Science.org, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds experience increased isolation and struggle to connect both academically and within their home communities. A recent study indicated that perceived socioeconomic status is the strongest predictor of social difficulties during graduate school, surpassing factors such as race, gender, or international status. These challenges may contribute to the underrepresentation of individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds among faculty in the United States.

First Focus on Children highlights that diverting public education funds to private institutions through voucher programs undermines public schools' ability to serve equitably the 90% of U.S. students they educate. These programs have been associated with academic decline, widespread fraud, and rising state budget deficits while disproportionately benefiting wealthier families. Historically and currently, privatization efforts have excluded marginalized communities and weakened public education's foundational role in promoting equal opportunity.

Chron reports that teachers have expressed concerns over school voucher programs proposed in Texas. They fear these programs may divert essential resources from public schools, potentially worsening educational inequities for marginalized groups such as students with disabilities, English language learners, LGBTQ+ youth, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Teacher Tapp is a survey platform that captures real-time insights from educators nationwide. By delivering brief, anonymous daily surveys, it collects valuable data on teachers’ experiences to inform evidence-based discussions among policymakers and school leaders.