A Think Twice Review of:

The Effects of Means Tested Private School Choice Programs on College Enrollment and Graduation

Think Twice - Oct 16, 2019

Publisher/Think Tank - Urban Institute

Author(s) -

A recent Urban Institute report brings together certain findings from studies of three school voucher programs. The report concludes that students using vouchers to attend private schools sometimes have higher rates of college enrollment and completion than their public school counterparts.

Reviewer(s) - T. Jameson Brewer, University of North Georgia

Professor Brewer notes two other concerns with the report. First, the literature review places an unbalanced reliance on non-peer-reviewed sources. Second, the report attempts to "move the goalposts" away from the test-score outcomes that have been the center of voucher advocacy and debate for decades-coinciding with recent voucher studies finding null or negative effects on test scores.