Political and social changes that have increased the public's interest in educational vouchers are summarized in three categories. The first category, new support for the arguments made by voucher advocates, includes Milton Friedman's suggestion of a free and competitive market for education, and John E. Coons and Stephen D. Sugarman's advancement, in their book "Education by Choice: The Case for Family Control," of the benefits of allowing parents to choose their child's education. Other support for the voucher system has come from James Coleman and some prominent civil rights leaders who suggest that educational vouchers are an attractive alternative for black families. The second category, recent shifts in the political climate, encompasses Reagan's emphasis on a competitive market place, evangelical religious groups with political leanings like the Moral Majority, and taxpayer-rights groups. The third category of changes, social and demographic trends, includes the lack of support for public schools; an aging population paying an increasing portion of property tax revenues; and the white population's declining proportion of public school enrollments in the 1980s. (Author/MLF)