14-Feb-03RAND1 Vouchers and Charter Schools What We Know and What We Need To Know Brian Gill RA

14-Feb-03RAND2 The Bottom Line  Neither hopes nor fears have been realized, but some outcomes of some choice programs are promising  Design details are crucial: different voucher/charter programs have different effects  Further research, experimentation, and demonstration are needed to answer key questions

14-Feb-03RAND3 Vouchers and Charters Are at the Forefront of Education Reform Efforts  Vouchers –Active programs in several states –Federal and state tax codes increasingly used to create implicit “vouchers” –Federal constitutionality now established  Charter schools –Charter laws in 36 states –2700 schools and 700,000 students and growing Despite policy importance, debate has been characterized by advocacy rather than evidence

14-Feb-03RAND4 For 150+ Years, the Educational System Has Been Based on the “Common School” A common curriculum … in a school serving all students … operated by a government agency (school district) that is responsible to elected officials (school board) The common school model aims to promote  academic achievement  access  integration  civic socialization

14-Feb-03RAND5 Vouchers and Charters Depart from the “Common School” Model  Students choose to attend, rather than being assigned  Funding follows students, making schools accountable to the market/parents  Schools are autonomously operated by nongovernment organizations Vouchers and charters challenge conventional definitions of public and private

14-Feb-03RAND6 Briefing Outline  Propose framework for evaluating voucher and charter policies  Assess existing empirical evidence and specify key remaining unknowns  Discuss importance of policy design

14-Feb-03RAND7 All Major Policy Goals Should Be Considered in Evaluating Vouchers and Charters Choice Civic socialization Integration Access Achievement

14-Feb-03RAND8 The RAND Framework (1)  Do voucher/charter schools improve their students’ test scores?  Do voucher/charter schools improve rates of graduation and college attendance?  Do vouchers and charters help or harm the achievement of students who remain in conventional public schools? AchievementAccess  Do voucher/charter schools serve low-income, minority, and at-risk children?

14-Feb-03RAND9  Do vouchers and charters increase or reduce racial/ethnic integration in schools? Integration The RAND Framework (2)Choice  What is the quantity and quality of schools supplied under voucher/charter policies?  Are voucher/charter parents satisfied with their schools? Civic socialization  Do voucher/charter schools contribute to the socialization of responsible, tolerant, democratically active citizens?  Or do they promote narrow, divisive ideologies?

14-Feb-03RAND10 Briefing Outline  Propose framework for evaluating voucher and charter policies  Assess existing empirical evidence and specify key remaining unknowns  Discuss importance of policy design

14-Feb-03RAND11 Achievement Effects for Voucher and Charter Students are Mixed  Methodological challenge: selection bias  Experimental voucher studies suggest possible small achievement benefit for African-American students –Not clear whether effect would be produced in larger, publicly funded programs  No current studies of largest existing voucher program (Milwaukee)  Mixed results in charter studies –Results range from slightly negative to slightly positive –Charter performance improves after first year of operation Achievement

14-Feb-03RAND12 Evidence of Effect of Vouchers and Charters on Students in Public Schools is Limited but Promising  Effects on public-school students may be more important than direct effects of voucher and charter schools –Negative or positive effects are possible  One study finds favorable results in Milwaukee (vouchers), AZ (charters), MI (charters)  Best international evidence—from Chile—finds mixed results Achievement

14-Feb-03RAND13 Many Existing Voucher Programs Successfully Target At-Risk Students  Mean family income is typically below $20K  Test scores on entry are well below national medians Washington New York Dayton Cleveland Milwaukee Percent nonwhite Access

14-Feb-03RAND14 Access to Voucher and Charter Schools Depends on Policy Design  Some education tax subsidies (such as federal ESA) serve middle- and upper-income students  Demographics of charter students vary widely across states  Students with disabilities are underrepresented in voucher and charter programs Access

14-Feb-03RAND15 Racial Integration Effects Depend on Context and Policy Details  Voucher students often attend more integrated schools than do their public-school peers  Two-thirds of charter schools have racial distributions within 20% of district average  Dynamic analyses have not been conducted  International evidence suggests that large-scale, unregulated choice programs increase stratification Integration

14-Feb-03RAND16 Civic Socialization Effects of Voucher and Charter Schools Are Mostly Unknown  How do voucher, charter, and public schools affect –Civic knowledge? –Civic attitudes? –Civic behavior?  Little evidence that public schools do any better than private schools in terms of civic socialization Civic socialization

14-Feb-03RAND17 Voucher Parents Are Highly Satisfied Percentage of parents giving school an "A" Dayton Washington New York Rejected voucher applicants Choice Dayton PAVE/Milwaukee San Antonio Public-school parents Less evidence on charter parents, but most studies show strong satisfaction as wellLess evidence on charter parents, but most studies show strong satisfaction as well Dayton Washington New York PAVE/Milwaukee San Antonio Voucher parents

14-Feb-03RAND18 Many Questions Remain Unanswered  What are the long-term academic outcomes for voucher and charter students?  How do vouchers and charters affect students who remain in conventional public schools?  Do voucher/charter schools promote the socialization of responsible, tolerant, democratically active citizens?  What quantity and quality of schools are provided under large-scale voucher/charter policies?

14-Feb-03RAND19 Briefing Outline  Propose framework for evaluating voucher and charter policies  Assess existing empirical evidence and specify key remaining unknowns  Discuss importance of policy design

14-Feb-03RAND20 Voucher and Charter Programs Vary Widely in Policy Details  Eligibility of schools  School approval  Student eligibility  Funding level  Funding mechanism  Student admissions  Assessment and information dissemination Many variations have not been tested in U.S., notably universal-choice systems

14-Feb-03RAND21 Effects of Choice Policies Depend on Policy Details  Permitting existing private schools to participate may affect –the supply of choices available –patterns of integration –achievement results  Requiring open admissions may affect –equitable access –achievement in public schools  Funding generously through direct grants (vs. tax incentives) may affect –access and integration –the supply of choices available

14-Feb-03RAND22 The Bottom Line  Neither hopes nor fears have been realized, but some outcomes of some choice programs are promising  Different programs have different effects, and careful policy design can improve outcomes  Further research, experimentation, and demonstration are needed to answer key questions