Increasing Choice in the Market for Schools: Recent Reforms and Their Effects on Student Achievement

Abstract

Increased parental school choice has become a popular education reform strategy, but evidence of its effectiveness in improving student achievement is mixed. In this paper, we examine the rationale for school choice, obstacles to fulfi lling its theoretical promise, and results observed to date. We supplement our discussion with data from a survey of Milwaukee principals. Survey fi ndings suggest that school leaders feel competitive pressures from certain types of schools but tend to respond by improving their marketing efforts rather than their educational programs.

Competition and educational quality: evidence from the Netherlands

“…However, an important limitation of these studies is that they include only schools with oversubscribed lotteries, which are probably the most desirable schools in these areas. Therefore, in a US overview of the vouchers and chartered schools literature Loeb et al (2011) claim that the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of vouchers in improving student's achievement is decidedly mixed.…”

Social Enterprise and Christian School Finance: Receptivity of ACSI Christian School Leaders in Mid-America

“…Voucher -A chunk of money that a parent or guardian can use to cover a portion of tuition expenses at a private or public school of their choice in lieu of enrolling in the public school system (Loeb, Valant, & Kasman, 2011;Merrifield 2008).…”

“…One of the other sources of funds that some private schools have turned to is government vouchers (Loeb, Valant, & Kasman, 2011;Sutton & King, 2011). Vouchers have been a source of a great deal of controversy in recent years.…”

“…Vouchers have been a source of a great deal of controversy in recent years. Some states have found ways to completely ban them (Sutton & King, 2011) while others have embraced them (Loeb et al, 2011 (Howell, West, & Peterson, 2011). Some private schools are finding this public support for vouchers to be a stabilizing force in a time of otherwise falling enrollment (Meyer, 2007).…”

“…While tax credits as a tool for opening the doors of the private school to a wider audience has gained popularity, it still has plenty of opposition. Legislators have found that teachers unions and other long standing defenders of traditional public education will vehemently oppose this type of free market reform (Loeb et al, 2011;Wilbur, 2008). While tax credits are a growing trend, like vouchers, their scope is still far too limited to make a private education an option for the majority of American children.…”