Those opposing private school vouchers ask why taxpayers should invest in programs that support only a few students at the expense of many others. Conversely, school choice advocates ask why communities wouldn't want to financially support educational options for all students.

In our two-part series below, we examine this intensifying national debate by honing in on one of the oldest private school voucher programs in the U.S. — and the only one that’s federally funded — the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program in Washington, D.C.