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CONTACT: Course Choice Report Found Lacking Report lacks empirical evidence and sophisticated discussion necessary for a serious policy proposal EAST LANSING, Mich. (June 19, 2014) – A new report from the Fordham Institute, based on the presumed success of school choice programs, seeks to expand choice to individual courses. The proposal, presented in the form of a "guide" to addressing practical policy issues and implementation problems, promotes an anywhere, anytime model of course choices. However, an academic review out today finds that the report makes assumptions, without solid evidence, and that no direct research supports the efficacy of the proposal. Patricia Burch of the University of Southern California reviewed Expanding the Education Universe: A Fifty-State Strategy for Course Choice for the Think Twice think tank review project of the National Education Policy Center (NEPC), with funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. Jahni Smith, University of Southern California, and Mary Stewart, Indiana University, also contributed to the review. The report proposes that students design their own personalized program of online and off-line courses, choosing courses from a marketplace of for-profit and not-for-profit vendors, as well as local school districts and other public entities. In the review, the authors found that the report simply assumes that school choice is effective, and that it represents sound public and educational policy. Course choice is presented as a logical extension of that model. In reviewing the literature on the topic of course choice, the authors turned up a dearth of existing research to either support or refute the claims made in the report. The reviewers note that the report is more of "an advocacy piece" which seeks to advance "course choice." In conclusion, the authors find "The piece lacks the empirical evidence and sophisticated discussion necessary for a serious policy proposal." Moreover, the authors caution "Before accepting such plans as a primary provider of public education, far more sophisticated and rigorous studies must be conducted on the merits and the limitations of such approaches." Read this review at: Find Expanding the Education Universe: A Fifty-State Strategy for Course Choice on the web: Think Twice, a project of the National Education Policy Center, provides the public, policymakers and the press with timely, academically sound reviews of selected publications. The project is made possible by funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. The review can also be found on the NEPC website: - ### - |
The mission of the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice is to support and disseminate high quality research and reviews of research for the purpose of informing education policy and to develop research-based resources for use by those who advocate for education reform. Visit the Great Lakes Center Web Site at: http://www.greatlakescenter.org. Find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/GreatLakesCenter. |