Puerto Rico's vouchers attractive to schools

Puerto Rico's voucher system is designed to expand educational opportunities for low-income youngsters. But as part of a more comprehensive effort, the Puerto Rican programme may provide a nationwide model for US educational reform.

Funded with $10 million allocated from privatisation of the island's telephone company, the programme makes $1,500 vouchers available to children from families with annual incomes of less than $18,000 who apply for them. In the first year there were enough vouchers for all who applied - overwhelmingly from lower-income families. In subsequent years, there will be a lottery system if the number of applicants exceeds the number of vouchers available.

Puerto Rico makes its vouchers transportable between public schools. For students using them in public schools, the vouchers provide resources on top of the funds the commonwealth already provides for each pupil.

This innovation marks a milestone in educational reform: instead of merely funnelling extra money to schools with high concentrations of low-income students, the voucher gives such youngsters greater mobility while making them economically attractive to schools. No longer able to ignore low-income kids who previously had nowhere else to go, schools now compete for them and the extra resources they bring.