Research at a Glance
from the Milton and Rose D Friedman Foundation website: www.friedmanfoundation.org
Proponents of school choice quote reports from Dr. Paul Peterson, Harvard University, and Dr. Cecilia Rouse, Princeton University. Opponents cite reports from Dr. Kim Metcalf, Indiana University, and Dr. John Witte, University of Wisconsin.
While Peterson and Rouse have found that school choice improves math and reading test scores for kids, as well as parental involvement and satisfaction, Witte and Metcalf have been reluctant to say that the data from the Milwaukee and Cleveland models show that the programs work until recently.
Dr. John Witte
1994 - "One way to think about the program is to ask whether the majority of the students and families involved are better off because of this program. The answer of the parents involved was clearly yes. This was despite the fact that achievement was no different than the achievement of MPS students." Fourth Year Report, Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1994.
1999 - "Choice can be a useful tool to aid families and educators in inner-city and poor communities where education has been a struggle for several generations." The Market Approach to Education: An Analysis of America's First Voucher Program, 1999.
Dr. Kim Metcalf
Selected quotes from Evaluation of the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Grant Program, Indiana University, 1999.
"The Cleveland Scholarship Program effectively serves the populations of families and children for which it was intended and designed."
"Participation appears to substantially improve parents' satisfaction with their children's schools."
"Available data indicate a small but statistically significant effect on students' achievement in two of five cognitive domains after two years in the program."
| Milwaukee Voucher Program | |
| Researchers | Results |
Paul Peterson |
|
Cecilia Rouse |
|
John Witte |
|
| Cleveland Voucher Program | |
| Researchers | Results |
Paul Peterson |
|
Kim Metcalf |
|
Other Research on School Choice
"If student test scores continue to rise at the same rate, minority students will close the test-score gap with white students (from similar economic backgrounds) within five years." Paul Peterson, David Myers and William G. Howell, An Evaluation of the New York City School Choice Scholarship Program: The First Year, Harvard University, 1998.
"We find that charter schools do affect the behavior of traditional public schools and school districts." Paul Teske, Mark Schneider, Sara Clark and Jack Buckley, Does Competition from Charter Schools Leverage Change in Traditional School Systems? A Tale of Five Cities, Manhattan Institute's Civic Report #10, June 2000..
"Of all students observed in private school lunchrooms, 63.5% were in an integrated setting ... In public schools, 49.7% were in a similarly segrated lunchroom setting. The difference is both substantively and statistically significant. Private school students are more likely to be sitting in racially heterogeneous groups than public school students." Jay Greene and Nicole Mellow, Integration Where it Counts: A Study of Racial Integration in Public and Private School Lunchrooms, August 1998, p. 13.
"Voucher students [in San Antonio] scored at the 35th percentile on the reading test, public school students scored at the 28th. Difference is significant." Paul Peterson, David Myers and William G. Howell, An Evaluation of the Horizon Scholarship Program in the Edgewood Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas: The First Year, Harvard University, 1999.