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Private school choice programs are rapidly gaining traction, with nearly 450,000 student participants in 2019--an increase of 300,000 students in just 15 years. This report evaluates how well some of these programs prepare students for college by examining college enrollment and completion data from the Florida Tax Credit scholarship program, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, and the Washington, DC, Opportunity Scholarship Program. Unlike previous research on private school choice, this body of work takes a long-term approach, focusing on college enrollment and graduation rates rather than student satisfaction and test scores. Over the past three years, this research has demonstrated that private school choice programs yield varying results on graduation rates, with positive outcomes for students in the Florida and Milwaukee programs and no statistically significant positive or negative outcome in DC. This report presents the most up-to-date data and proposes topics for future research that would better equip policymakers to make decisions. The updated data in this report show more consistent positive effects of Milwaukee's private school choice program, and the results in DC still show no significant effect, even as we broaden the sample to include more students. [Additional funding for this report was provided by the Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation and by Kate and Bill Duhamel.]

This paper is the first summary of two studies and 10 years of evaluating the Milwaukee Parental Choice (voucher) Program (MPCP). This paper discusses school voucher evaluations in general terms and how these studies are carried out. The paper outlines the types of studies completed in "Study I" and "Study II" and the results of those studies. The focus of these studies was on student achievement comparisons between voucher and non-voucher public school students using value-added approaches over five-year periods. "Study II" was able--for the first time--to study high school graduation and college enrollment (attainment). Control groups for "Study I" were: a matched random sample of low-income Milwaukee Public School (MPS) students; and, as a secondary comparison, the entire MPS low-income student population. A more complex matching process was used to pick a control group matched to grade-level random samples of voucher students in "Study II". Low-income students were offered educational vouchers in lieu of tuition to attend private schools in Milwaukee. In "Study I", only secular private schools (23 at most) were in the program; in "Study II", both secular and religious private schools were allowed (approximately 115) to enroll voucher students. Both studies were observational with suitable comparison groups. In both studies a wide range of data were collected over five-year periods including standardized test scores, parent and student surveys, teacher and administrator interviews, and school-level case studies. Both studies conclude that there were no major achievement (test score) differences between voucher and non-voucher samples, but that "Study II" voucher students graduated from high school and attended and persisted in four-year colleges at higher rates than their non-voucher MPS counterparts.

Examination of two types of school choice programs in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) reveals that the exercise of choice is a function of the type and design of the choice program. Comparison of the voucher private school and interdistrict public school choice programs (Chapter 220) shows that both are providing additional educational opportunities. (SLD)

This report describes the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and its 4-year outcomes. The program is a targeted private-school subsidy program that provides state aid to member schools in lieu of tuition. Students must come from households with income 1.75 times the poverty line or less, and eligible schools must have no religious affiliations. Data were obtained through surveys mailed in the fall of each year from 1990-94 to parent applicants; a survey of 5,474 public-school parents; a followup survey of choice parents in June of each year; case studies of private-choice schools; observation; and analysis of outcome measures (achievement test scores, attendance, parent attitudes and involvement, and attrition). The data show that the program provides alternative educational opportunities to economically disadvantaged families. In terms of program size (relative to the public education system) and academic achievement outcomes, the public school system is not in danger of losing its best students to the choice schools. However, the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) face the small potential loss of better educated, involved parents. Choice and MPS students performed approximately the same on achievement tests; however, attendance for choice students was slightly higher and overall parental satisfaction with the program was high. The following recommendations are offered: (1) make more performance information available, but do not automatically adopt all standards; (2) provide information in a timely manner; and (3) change the transportation reimbursement system. Two figures and 20 tables are included. Appendices contain statistical data, a description of the member schools, and recommendations. (LMI)