Study finds EdChoice Scholarship Program spurs public school improvements

August 20th, 2008

Friedman Foundation Study of EdChoice program August 2008

A study of the new Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship (EdChoice) program’s effect on public schools has found academic gains among students in designated public schools.

This suggests that, far from harming students in public schools, scholarship programs like EdChoice can actually spur improvements in student learning for those students who remain in the low-performing public schools.

The study, commissioned by the Indianapolis-based Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, is the first empirical analysis examining the effects of Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program, which was enacted by the Ohio state legislature in 2005.  The program began serving students in the 2006-07 school year.

“We believe that competition – or the threat of competition – has spurred these schools to get their act together and better serve their students,” said Robert Enlow, executive director of the Friedman Foundation. “What we are seeing is, after just one year, some modest academic gains in several grade levels are taking place.  No negative effects were detected in any grades.”

Key findings of the study include:

• In 2006-07, its first year of operation, the EdChoice program produced some academic improvements in Ohio’s most stubbornly underperforming public schools. Positive effects were detected in three grades, and no negative effects were detected in any of the other seven grades studied.
• The positive effects were substantial in size, though not revolutionary. If the effects accumulate over time, in three to four years the public schools studied will have improved by one standard deviation (equal to one-sixth of the distance between the top-scoring and bottom-scoring schools in Ohio).
• The EdChoice program was more restricted in its first year of operation than it is today. Since previous research suggests that the positive impact of vouchers on public schools increases when the programs grow, it is reasonable to expect that the program’s current benefits probably exceed those detected in this study.

“For scholarship critics who contend the scholarship will harm public schools, this study suggests that the data does not support that assumption,” said Chad Aldis, executive director of School Choice Ohio.

“It is great to see data-driven research being conducted on this scholarship program.”While this study examines the scholarship’s impact on affected public schools, it does not look at the students using the vouchers to attend private schools. “It is essential the state move forward and take the necessary steps to both protect individual student information and to allow for a high quality study of how students using this voucher perform academically,” Aldis added.

The Ohio General Assembly required the Partnership for Continued Learning to conduct a study of the scholarship program and report the results by March 31, 2008, but the study has not yet been undertaken.

The EdChoice program was created to provide students from underperforming public schools the opportunity to attend participating private schools. The program provides up to 14,000 EdChoice scholarships to eligible students.  Students currently attending a public school that has been designated in Academic Emergency or Academic Watch for two of the past three years are eligible to apply for the vouchers.
The new list of designated public schools for the 2009-10 school year is slated to be released in mid-September.

In addition to the Friedman Foundation and School Choice Ohio, Ohio sponsors of the study include the Black Alliance for Educational Options, Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Children’s Scholarship Fund of Greater Cincinnati, Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc., and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. National sponsors include Agudath Israel of America, Alliance for School Choice, and Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options.

About School Choice Ohio

School Choice Ohio (SCO) is committed to the goal of every child in Ohio having access to a quality education. Because this is not yet a reality, the organization works tirelessly to educate both the public and our leaders on the importance of empowering parents to find the best educational setting for the needs of their children. SCO believes that all parents should have the opportunity to choose which school is best for their children, regardless of their income level.