ERIC Number: ED615938
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Nov
Pages: 200
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Fiscal Effects of School Choice: Analyzing the Costs and Savings of Private School Choice Programs in America
Lueken, Martin F.
EdChoice
School choice critics argue that choice programs drain resources from public schools and therefore harm students who remain in them. Because policymakers are tasked with balancing their states' budgets and ensuring that their public schools meet educational provisions in their states' constitutions, they are concerned with the fiscal effects of these programs. More than two dozen studies have examined educational choice programs' effects on students enrolling in nearby public schools. Researchers have conducted a handful of systematic reviews of competitive effects research and, more recently, a meta-analysis of this body of research. In each of these reviews, researchers conclude that students who remain in district schools after exposure to educational choice programs tend to experience modest educational benefits. But the question remains whether educational choice programs lead to higher costs for taxpayers or fewer resources for students who remain in public schools. This report summarizes the fiscal effects of educational choice programs across the United States from an analysis of 40 private educational choice programs in 19 states plus D.C. The programs in the analysis include three education savings accounts programs, 19 school voucher programs, and 18 tax-credit scholarship programs. The report also provides context by presenting basic facts about the size and scope of each program, in terms of participation and funding, relative to each state's public school system. It presents the facts on taxpayer funding disparities between students using the choice programs and their peers in public schools.
Descriptors: School Choice, Educational Finance, Costs, Private Schools, Educational Vouchers, Money Management, Tax Credits, Scholarships, Expenditure per Student, Special Needs Students
EdChoice. 111 Monument Circle Suite 2650, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tel: 317-681-0745; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: EdChoice, Fiscal Research & Education Center (FREC)
Identifiers - Location: Alabama; Arizona; District of Columbia; Florida; Georgia; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Louisiana; Mississippi; New Hampshire; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; Utah; Virginia; Wisconsin
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A