ERIC Number: ED467699
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2001-Jul
Pages: 39
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Just Doing It 5: Surveying America's Privately Funded School Choice Grants Programs for Growth, Impact, and Progress.
Ladner, Matthew
This report looks at the accomplishments of Children First America, a national advocacy and support group for school choice. Beginning with a single program in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early 1990s, private voucher programs (PVPs) had grown until, in the 1999-2000 school year, 108 such programs aided students. PVPs, which served 746 students in 1991-1992, now serve more than 100,000 students. More than 97% of these students are economically disadvantaged, and the vast majority are minorities living in the inner city. The amount of assistance provided to families varies widely, but the average amount increased to $1,150 per year in 1999 from $898 in 1997-1998. Academic studies consistently have shown improved test scores and parental satisfaction with choice schools when compared to control groups of students in public schools. PVP families in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania are now aided by state tax credits, enhancing the ability of PVPs to reach and help students. The largest private voucher program, Horizon (San Antonio, Texas), had a demonstrable impact on the public school district from which it drew students. One appendix lists private voucher contact information, and the other lists Arizona Student Tuition Organizations. (Contains 15 figures and 5 tables.) (SLD)
Descriptors: Disadvantaged Youth, Educational Change, Educational Vouchers, Elementary Education, Grants, Minority Group Children, Private Financial Support, School Choice, Surveys, Urban Youth
Children First America, P.O. Box 330, Bentonville, AR 72712. Tel: 501-273-6957; Fax: 501-273-9362. For full text: http://www.childrenfirstamerica.org.
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Children First America, Austin, TX.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Prepared with the aid and support of the Children's Scholarship Fund. Children First America formerly located in Bentonville, Arkansas.