NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
ERIC Number: ED435128
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1999-Sep
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
What We Know about Vouchers: The Facts behind the Rhetoric.
Adelsheimer, Erica
This report examines research on education vouchers. It discusses how most studies have focused on the systems in place in Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York City. Although researchers have accused each other of specious findings, some generally consistent results have arisen: families that are served by vouchers are generally low income, parents were more satisfied with private schools than with prior public schools, the education levels of parents of enrolled voucher students were higher than those of students in the public schools generally, voucher students were more likely to live in single-parent families, students of certain racial and ethnic backgrounds made up a greater portion of voucher recipients than their numbers in the school populations would predict, and mobility rates and attrition rates were essentially the same for voucher recipients and public school students. Inconsistent findings were also evident, including the effects of vouchers on student achievement, as well as the degree of parental involvement. The report recommends that more attention be devoted to other choice alternatives, costs, program design, and the education gap. Synopses of alternatives for providing school choice, such as charter schools, open enrollment, homeschooling, magnet schools, and private vouchers, are presented. Contains 10 references. (RJM)
Publication Type: Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: WestEd, San Francisco, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Document researched and prepared with the assistance of Kate Rix.