June 1, 2016
The Wall Street Journal recently cited a meta-analysis conducted by University of Arkansas researchers that found overall positive and statistically significant achievement effects of using school vouchers. The newspaper published an editorial about the research in its May 26 Opinion section.
The study was co-authored by Patrick Wolf, holder of the Twenty-First Century Chair in School Choice and director of the School Choice Demonstration Project based at the U of A, and M. Danish Shakeel and Kaitlin Anderson, both doctoral students in the education policy program in the College of Education and Health Professions. This was the first time a meta-analysis of international randomized controlled trials evaluating the achievement effects of vouchers has been conducted, the authors said.
The research is welcome news that “school choice delivers,” the unsigned editorial said.
The results of the meta-analysis indicate that voucher programs appear to work well globally, perhaps particularly in countries with more of a private-public gap in school quality, but more randomized controlled trials are needed to address the education gap for access to K-12 education, especially in the third-world countries.
The School Choice Demonstration Project has conducted evaluations of such voucher programs as the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and the Louisiana Scholarship Program.
