Even those who are not really in favor of vouchers are now wrestling with the new data out of a study on schools in Florida. In The National Bureau of Economics, three academics from UC Davis, Northwestern University, and Emory University spent time studying the effects of the massive scale-up of a Florida private school choice program.

Their research considered an important question:

 “What happens to students who stay in public schools when other students take advantage of school choice scholarships?” 

Critics of school choice often argue that the families who take advantage of school choice are parents who are more involved and students who are higher-performing. So, when these families leave public schools, children who stay in public schools are left in a worse situation.

So, was this true? What was the verdict in Florida? 

The researchers use two main measures, 1) the standardized measures of math and reading scores for 3rd-8th grade students on Florida’s state tests and 2) a “competitive pressure index.” This index measured the effects of competitive pressure on a novel set of behavioral outcomes - absence and suspension. The “competitive pressure index” was made up of 5 competition measures that schools were likely to face: 

1. Density - # of private schools in a five-mile radius

2. Distance - the distance between each public school and the nearest private competitor serving the same grade range

3. Diversity - # of different religious denominational categories represented among the private schools within a five-mile radius of each public school 

4. Slots - # of private school students served in the same grade range within a five-mile radius, standardized by the number of grades served 

5. Churches - # of houses of worship in a five-mile radius

Using both of these measures, researchers discovered that when more kids were able to attend private schools, nearby public schools changed their behavior to improve learning and school decorum.  In other words, both public school learning outcomes and behavioral outcomes improved!

Here is their explanation from the conclusion of the study:

“We find consistent evidence that as the [school choice] program grows in size, students in public schools that faced higher competitive pressure levels see greater gains from the program expansion than do those in locations with less competitive pressure.”

Or in other words, when students could leave to go to a better school, public schools found the will to improve. In the long term, when public schools faced the reality that parents could withdraw their children from their school and go elsewhere, they rose to the challenge, and test scores rose while absences and suspensions went down.

But as we know, communities do not only experience positive outcomes inside the school walls when families have access to educational options. More opportunities to bypass school assignments can also impact economic growth. Want to learn more? Check it out here!