1. What Are the Outcomes of Choice Programs? Casey D. Cobb Center for Education Policy Analysis Neag School of Education University of Connecticut presented at the “Who Chooses Schools and Why?” conference October 11, 2005 http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/educ/css

2. What are the goals of American education? To prepare students for our democracy To prepare students for jobs To prepare students to compete for social positions

3. What are the values underlying these goals? Excellence (e.g., academic achievement) Equity (e.g., desegregation) Efficiency (e.g., system-wide innovation) Community (e.g., civic engagement) Liberty (e.g., choice itself)

4. Why is research on school choice so problematic and uncertain? Research evidence is mixed and ideologically charged

5. Why is research on choice so uncertain? Example 1: Do charter schools improve academic achievement? Performed better Performed the same Performed worse WI TX CA, NC Source: Economic Policy Institute

6. Why is research on choice so uncertain? Example 2: Do magnet schools reduce minority isolation? Source: MSAP 2003 Evaluation; Goldring & Smrekar SuccessfulNot so successful Charlotte-Mecklenburg Montclair, NJ New York State St. Louis Cincinnati Kansas City Prince George’s County, MD

7. Why is research on choice so uncertain? Example 3: Do higher levels of school choice competition increase academic outcomes? Review of 41 studies: 38% show positive relationship between competition and public school achievement Overall effect is mild to modest Source: Belfield & Levin

8. Why is research on school choice so uncertain? Research can be ideologically charged Context matters Methodologies inexact and imprecise Disagreement over appropriate outcomes

9. How should we proceed on understanding the values and outcomes of choice programs? Are we asking the right questions? What do we want to know?