DC Vouchers: Three Year Report

Speaking of ideology and research, I just got the following e-mail (below). If you believe vouchers work, good news: voucher students in D.C. did better in reading, and their parents were more satisfied and believed they attended safer schools. If you believe vouchers don't work, good news: voucher students in D.C. did no better in math, students who transferred from failing schools did no better, and students reported no higher satisfaction nor believed that their schools were safer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: NCEE Releases New Report: The Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts After Three Years

The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "The Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts After Three Years."

This congressionally mandated report on the impact of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program measures the effects of the program on student achievement in reading and math, and on student and parent perceptions of school satisfaction and safety. The evaluation found that the OSP improved reading, but not math, achievement overall and for 5 of 10 subgroups of students examined. The group designated as the highest priority by Congress - students applying from "schools in need of improvement" (SINI) - did not experience achievement impacts. Students offered scholarships did not report being more satisfied or feeling safer than those who were not offered scholarships, however the OSP did have a positive impact on parent satisfaction and perceptions of school safety. This same pattern of findings holds when the analysis is conducted to determine the impact of using a scholarship rather than being offered a scholarship.

To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094050/