As school choice options grow, it is helpful to test for indirect effects on non-choosers who are left behind in district-run schools. Can a competitive system built on the principle of choice serve as a rising tide that lifts all boats or will such systems further existing inequities? The largest competitive effects analysis of a voucher program…

This report provides a new resource for understanding the state of urban public schools in the U.S. Geared specifically toward city leaders who want to evaluate how well traditional district and charter schools are serving all their city's children and how their schools compare to those in other cities, the report measures outcomes for all public…

In an effort to better understand the various economic benefits that a particular urban area could expect were it to reduce its number of high school dropouts, the Alliance for Excellent Education, has developed a sophisticated economic model in partnership with Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. The model allows various economic projections to be…

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson has laid down a bold challenge to the city's troubled public school system: improve or see your students migrate to the city's growing roster of impressive charter schools. This is no idle threat. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the mayor oversaw 16 charter schools serving 3,870 students. Peterson is currently the…

Graduation rates are a fundamental indicator of whether or not the nation's public school system is doing what it is intended to do: enroll, engage, and educate youth to be productive members of society. Since almost 90 percent of the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs require some postsecondary education, having a high school diploma and the…

This study documents the public costs of high school dropouts in Indiana, and examines how school choice would provide large public benefits by increasing the graduation rate in Indiana public schools. It calculates the annual cost of high school dropouts in Indiana due to lower state income tax payments, increased reliance on Medicaid, and…