This week, a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research on Lousisiana vouchers became the first high-quality study to find negative academic results for a private school choice program.
Informed observers have sounded important notes of caution. New Orleans-based researcher Doug Harris notes the results cover only the first year after the program’s 2012 expansion. Student achievement might improve as schools adjust. The use of the state test could also explain some of the negative results, since it might not be well-aligned to private-school standards.
Some school choice advocates say they’ve found an explanation for the dismal findings: Louisiana’s heavy regulation of voucher programs, which has kept many private schools — perhaps some high-performing ones — from participating. Regulation, in other words, appears to have backfired, and may prove to be, in the words of Jason Bedrick of the Cato Institute, “folly.”
Michael Petrilli and Amber Northern of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute say that explanation doesn’t hold much water.
Neerav Kingsland says the anti-regulation argument presents a challenge to school choice supporters:
I understand the risks involved with this type of deregulation, but I think it’s worth trying and seeing what we learn. I don’t know if it would work, but it might, and the potential the upside seems high.
I also think there are things you can do to solve for equity (significantly weighting vouchers for at-risk students), that will lead to higher performing private schools enrolling hard to serve kids.
But, ultimately, I’m not ok with taking the public out of public education.
Lurking the background in Louisiana: Uncertain political support for its voucher program, despite high ratings from parents.
Meanwhile…
Charter schools turn 25. The Walton family wants to pour another $1 billion into charters, focusing on low-income communities. Charters get a nice funding boost in the new federal budget. Obama wanted even more.
Do all the high-profile education lawsuits of 2014 and 2015 add up to something much bigger?
A district fails to make sought-after schools available to black families.
More black families choose to home school citing concerns about racism.
More students are taking Advanced Placement courses.
Catholic schools give the new federal education law positive reviews.
The case against non-governmental charter school authorizers.
Tweet of the Week
Washington State Lawmakers Propose a New Way to Keep #CharterSchools Open https://t.co/LecD2EeAdT #savewacharters #actnow4wastudents #waedu
— WA School Choice (@WAschoolchoice) January 5, 2016
Quote of the Week
All children cannot go to a charter school, or they can’t have a voucher, so you’re picking and choosing, and that is a policy we can’t support… that’s a low bar. That’s a real low bar. That is not good enough. It has to be for everybody.
—Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida chapter of the NAACP, on her organization’s school choice stance, as reported by Politico Florida in an article now behind a paywall and flagged here.
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