School Vouchers Research Paper
School Vouchers
Dan Botting
Calvin College
Introduction Education in the U.S. today is mostly paid for and administered by government bodies. This has been the way American education has worked since education began to become widespread. The bottom line rationale and purpose behind having a widespread system of education is that:
“A stable and democratic society is impossible without widespread acceptance of some common set of values and without a minimum degree of literacy and knowledge on the part of most citizens.” (Friedman, 1955)
There are many more arguments than this; however, this sums it up best by saying that widespread and common education is necessary for society to function.
This widespread form of government …show more content…
10). However, this is a misleading quotation since later the author points out that most of the students were no longer at private schools by this point because of significant attrition. Also, it was shown African-Americans who remained at private schools had a significant increase in achievement results. (Ladd, 2002, p. …show more content…
Economist Caroline Hoxby found in her 2000 study of the impact on schooling of competition through school choice that “choice has a statistically significant, positive effect on measures of achievement that range from test scores to wages” and “an increase in choice decreases per-pupil spending by a small amount.” (p. 1230). Another study looking at some of the cities that have implemented vouchers in the U.S. found that there are “modest differences in favor of…voucher students for student achievement in reading and mathematics. In a review of econometric studies, Belfield and Levin (in press) found small positive effects of school competition on a range of educational outcomes.” (Levin, 2002, p. 167). The most enlightening evidence may come from Columbia and their PACE voucher program though. This is very good empirical evidence compared to that of the studies done in the U.S. because there is a longer term where data is collected as well as much smaller amounts of attrition and compromising factors. (Angrist, 2006, p. 859). What Angrist found was that students who were a part of the voucher program “completed more years of school and had lower grade repetition, higher test scores,” (2006, p. 847) and a “substantially higher high-school graduation rate.” (2006, p.
Dan Botting
Calvin College
Introduction Education in the U.S. today is mostly paid for and administered by government bodies. This has been the way American education has worked since education began to become widespread. The bottom line rationale and purpose behind having a widespread system of education is that:
“A stable and democratic society is impossible without widespread acceptance of some common set of values and without a minimum degree of literacy and knowledge on the part of most citizens.” (Friedman, 1955)
There are many more arguments than this; however, this sums it up best by saying that widespread and common education is necessary for society to function.
This widespread form of government …show more content…
10). However, this is a misleading quotation since later the author points out that most of the students were no longer at private schools by this point because of significant attrition. Also, it was shown African-Americans who remained at private schools had a significant increase in achievement results. (Ladd, 2002, p. …show more content…
Economist Caroline Hoxby found in her 2000 study of the impact on schooling of competition through school choice that “choice has a statistically significant, positive effect on measures of achievement that range from test scores to wages” and “an increase in choice decreases per-pupil spending by a small amount.” (p. 1230). Another study looking at some of the cities that have implemented vouchers in the U.S. found that there are “modest differences in favor of…voucher students for student achievement in reading and mathematics. In a review of econometric studies, Belfield and Levin (in press) found small positive effects of school competition on a range of educational outcomes.” (Levin, 2002, p. 167). The most enlightening evidence may come from Columbia and their PACE voucher program though. This is very good empirical evidence compared to that of the studies done in the U.S. because there is a longer term where data is collected as well as much smaller amounts of attrition and compromising factors. (Angrist, 2006, p. 859). What Angrist found was that students who were a part of the voucher program “completed more years of school and had lower grade repetition, higher test scores,” (2006, p. 847) and a “substantially higher high-school graduation rate.” (2006, p.