When Schools Are the Ones that Choose: The Effects of Screening in Chile^*

Abstract

Objective. The voucher scheme introduced in Chile in 1981 allows for-profit private subsidized schools to choose their students. The objective of this article is to present evidence of this practice and examine its relationship with academic performance using information from the 2005 SIMCE test, in which parents were asked about the admission requirements for their children's schools. We present evidence indicating that student selection is a widespread practice among private subsidized schools. Methods. Using OLS and after controlling for a series of selection criteria and the segmentation effects that they produce, the evidence indicates that there are no differences in results between public and private subsidized education. Results. Our results show that a student attending a school that uses selection criteria obtains 7-9 percent higher results in standardized mathematics tests than a student from a school that does not use selection. Conclusion. The main conclusion of this study is that the basic belief behind the voucher system in Chile that competition will lead to better quality of all schools is not being met.The international evidence convincingly demonstrates that education is a key factor for raising incomes, social mobility, and welfare. Arrow, Bowles, and Durlauf (2000) summarize a range of interdisciplinary articles that highlight the importance of education in reducing income inequality and fostering social mobility.As a goal of obtaining better educational results, a voucher system was implemented in Chile in the early 1980s. The Chilean experience is the most significant international example of a competition-and incentive-based n

Neoliberal Education and Student Movements in Chile: Inequalities and Malaise

“…In the case of Chile, there are no significant differences between voucher and public schools, when both of them have the same educational resources and socioeconomic conditions (Contreras et al, 2010;Bellei, 2009). On the contrary, the impact on social equality in education is catastrophic.…”

What Are the Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in Education? A Realist Evaluation of the Chilean Education Quasi-Market

“…The selection or "creaming" of students by schools has been a common practice in Chile, especially in the private education sector (Hsieh and Urquiola 2006;Contreras et al 2007). However, recent legislation expressly bans selection practices for academic and socioeconomic reasons in preschool and primary education.…”

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