Summary of

The U.S. Department of Education’s Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts Two Years After Students Applied (May 2018)

DC Vouchers Negatively Affect Student Academic Achievement

• Overall, students in the voucher program performed worse in math than students who were not offered a voucher.

• The negative effects on math scores overall for students using vouchers are greater after two years than they were after one year.

Examining Sub-Sections of Students Further Reveals the Program’s Negative Impacts

• There was a statistically significant negative impact on math achievement for:

  • Students overall who used a voucher (10% points)

  • Students entering grades K-5 who used a voucher (13.9% points)

  • Students who attended a school in need of improvement (SINI school) at the time of applying to the voucher program and used a voucher (8.5%)

  • Students who did not attend a school in need of improvement (non-SINI school) at the time of applying to the voucher program and used a voucher (13.6% points)

  • Students who had scores below the median mathematics test score at the time of applying to the voucher program and used a voucher (9.1% points)

  • Students who had scores above the median mathematics test score at the time of applying to the voucher program and used a voucher (8.5% points)

  • Students who had scores above the median reading test score at the time of applying to the voucher program and used a voucher (12.8% points)

• There was a statistically significant negative impact on reading achievement for:

  • Students entering grades K-5 who used a voucher (6.7% points)

• There was a negative – even if not a statistically significant negative – impact for every demographic of student studied, with the exception of students entering grades 6-12. However, none of the positive impacts for students entering grades 6-12 were statistically significant.

  • Elementary students in grades K-5 were the largest group measured by the study (68% of participants), and they had statistically significant negative scores in both reading and math.

DC Vouchers Do Not Provide Greater School Satisfaction or More Parental Involvement

• The program had no statistically significant impact on parents’ or students’ general satisfaction with the school the child attended after two years.

• The program had no a statistically significant impact on the involvement of parents in the education of their child who was offered or used a voucher after two years.

DC Vouchers Do Not Provide More School-Wide Resources or Classroom Instruction Time

• The study found that students who received a voucher on average were provided an hour less of instruction time a week in both reading and math than students who did not receive vouchers.

• The study found that students who received a voucher had less access to programming for students with learning disabilities and for students who are English Language Learners than students who did not receive vouchers.

• The study also found that students who received vouchers had fewer school safety measures in place at their schools than students who did not receive vouchers.

DC Voucher Schools Are Predominantly Religious and Charge Tuition Above the Voucher Amount

• The study found that 62% of the schools participating in the voucher program from 2013-2016, were religiously affiliated.

• The study found that 70% of the schools participating in the voucher program from 2013-2016 had published tuition rates above the maximum amount of the voucher. Among those schools, the average difference between the maximum voucher amount and the tuition was $13,310.