Pro-choice activists are pleased with new studies that have come out – not on abortion, but on school vouchers. In the world of education, "choice" means giving children the opportunity to escape their failing public schools and instead attend the school of their choosing. While school choice has been railed against by those who favor pumping more money into poorly performing state schools, studies of voucher programs in two different cities have demonstrated marked improvements in students' educations and have given a boost to the "pro-choice" crowd.
Milwaukee:
Milwaukee is home to the nation's first urban school voucher program, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), which was started in 1990 as an effort to give students a way out of the city's dismal public school system. As of the 2007-2008 school year, the program had an enrollment of 19,069 students in 124 private schools. Fifty-eight charter schools operate in Milwaukee, with an enrollment of 17,549 students last year, and those students who remain in the public schools have plenty of choice about which public schools they attend. In March 2009, The School Choice Demonstration Project(SCDP) released their newest reports on the effectiveness of Milwaukee's school choice efforts, as part of a five-year study that started in 2006. So far, the SCDP has concluded that school choice is benefiting the students who attend private schools, the students who remain in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), and even the taxpayers.
The SCDP studies cover a number of areas. They not only measure the improvements in student test scores, but look at things like the fiscal impact of the voucher program, parent and student satisfaction, and even how school choice has affected housing prices in Milwaukee. Some conclusions from the 2009 report include:
-The MCPC saves the state money because MCPC students cost less to educate than MPS students. In 2009, Wisconsin is expected to save more than $37 million because paying for vouchers to send a student to a private school is less expensive than educating that same child in a public school. There is still a funding flaw in the system however. Property tax payers outside of Milwaukee have saved $52 million because of the MCPC program, but Milwaukee residents pay $45 million more.
-On average, MCPC students in the 8th grade score higher than their MPS peers in 2 out of 3 subjects, which is interesting because they score lower than their MPS peers in the 4th grade. This would make sense if the children are pulled out of public schools at a young age because they are doing poorly and then improve during the next few years. The performance of MCPC 10th graders is also higher than the performance of students in 4th and 8th grades when compared to national averages. It is also important to note that MCPC students at a few specific private schools score significantly higher than the average school in the city.
-School choice has been shown to improve boys' reading skills. The growth for MCPC boys was 6.4 scale score points higher than the MPS boys. However, girls' reading grew 5.2 points higher in the MPS.
-Comparing MCPC students to their peers in the public schools does not tell the entire story, because school choice has also improved public school test scores as well. Public school achievement has improved by 6.7 Normal Curve Equivalent(NCE) points during the past 20 years during the period of school choice. Increased competition may be one reason. Another reason might be the lighter burden on the public schools. The choice program has proved "a rising tide that has lifted all boats." It's a small tide, but significant for an inner city.
Washington DC:
Meanwhile, the US Department of Education recently released a report on the relatively new DC Opportunity Scholarship program, the first federally funded voucher program in the US. The report found that students who had taken advantage of the voucher program were an average of 3 months ahead of their public school peers in reading, but the two groups performed about equally in math. Prior years' analysis showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. This means that as time has gone on, the voucher children are certainly not doing worse, and many are doing much better.
Republican Congressman have called for reauthorization of the voucher program, which was killed recently, declaring the recent studies evidence that school choice helps struggling children achieve. "The U.S. Department of Education has confirmed what we've been saying all along—when parents are given a choice, and children are able to attend safer, higher-performing schools, achievement and satisfaction will rise," said Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon of California, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, in a statement.
The DC voucher program is only a few years old at this time. During the 2008-2009 school year, just over 1,715 students are attending 49 non-public schools through the program. These students come from the low income families who make an average of $22,736 per year. In Washington DC especially, that's poverty. Yet, school choice has been making a difference. If the program is not reauthorized, 1700 kids will be sent back to public schools where they were floundering.
There are many things involved in kids' success beyond simply the school they attend. Home lives, peer-pressure, stability and, ultimately, an appreciation for their value in the eyes of God are all factors to take into consideration. Yet, while the average child is doing better with school choice, these scholarship programs have made all the difference in the world to other kids. As one mother, Victoria Owens, wrote to The Washington Post:
"My sons Anthony and Antone have attended Ambassador Baptist Church Christian School for the past four years. When they started, they had problems in math, speech and focusing -- but now they are doing wonderfully. Their grades have improved, and Anthony even helps the younger students with their math. I am able to be much more involved in their education, and I love volunteering at the school. "
Offering kids and their parents another option than union-run public schools can only be helpful to them. We wait to see how future studies turn out.
Related Links:
• Low-Income Students Receiving Vouchers Make Reading Gains - US News & World Report