Panel:
The Latest Evidence on Private School Choice: Cognitive & Non-Cognitive Outcomes
(Education)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
This panel provides the latest evidence on the effects of U.S. private school choice programs on participating students’ cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. Two random-assignment studies examine effects of the voucher programs in Louisiana and D.C. on academic and non-academic outcomes. The experimental evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program examines its effects on math and reading test scores, satisfaction with schools, perceptions of school safety, chronic absenteeism, and parental involvement after three years. The experimental evaluation of the Louisiana Scholarship Program examines its effects on math and reading test scores and college enrollment after four years.
Two studies using rigorous propensity score matching techniques examine the effects of private school choice programs in Florida and Milwaukee, Wisconsin on non-cognitive outcomes. The evaluation of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program examines its effects on participating students’ likelihood of enrolling and graduating from college. The evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program examines its effects on criminal activity and paternity suits by the time students become 25 to 28 years of age. The four evaluations included in the panel cover a wide range of outcomes linked to a diverse set of private school choice programs in the U.S. The diversity of outcomes, program designs, and findings presented will make for an engaging panel discussion.
