Problems with Public SchoolsIn order to fully understand the issue of school vouchers, we must first examine the current situation in public schools and identify the problems. Next, we need to look at the effect vouchers will have on these issues. Finally, we must discuss the objections to education vouchers formulated by their main political opponents. In order to examine the potential benefits of school choice, one must first look at the current state of American education. Public schools today are in a state of crisis, while access to private schools is reduced because private schools cannot adequately sell what some offer for free. The organizational structure of these public schools is inherently centralized and bureaucratic (Boaz and Barrett 1996). The crisis in American schools takes three major forms. First, student academic performance is declining, particularly in urban areas and among traditionally disadvantaged student populations. Second, discipline and moral behavior quickly become non-existent. Third, per-pupil spending is inflated beyond what is necessary. Declining Academic Performance The first problem in public schools today is that academic performance is declining, particularly in urban areas and among disadvantaged populations. America faces an education crisis in two areas: business skills and liberal education. First, we look at the skills issue. In the 1980s, the “education crisis” in the United States occurred. received wide publicity. Several reports have been produced on the impact of this education crisis on the workforce. These reports, particularly those from the Hudson Institute and David Kearns, indicated huge gaps in education that left high school students middle of the road. http://www.educationext.org/20023/73.html. retrieved April 28, 2003 Savas, E. (2000). Privatization and public-private partnerships. New York: Chatham House Schaub D. (2002). Can liberal education survive liberal democracy? Public Interest, Spring 2002, Number 147Tyson L. (1990). New Quarterly Outlook, Fall 90, Vol. 7 Issue 4, p26U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (1996). Report evaluating environmental education in the United States and the implementation of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Woiceshyn G. (2000). Ayn Rand Institute. Rational education. retrieved April 28, 2003. Socializing Students for Anarchy. http://education.aynrand.org/anarchy.htmlWolfram G. (2001). Michigan's prevailing wage law forces schools to waste money. Michigan Education Report, Fall 2001.