Are voucher programs effective at improving schools?
Offering a better education to a disadvantaged student stuck in a failing school seems to be reward enough, but the most encouraging effect of voucher programs is that all children in affected areas seem to benefit. Two separate studies, one of Florida voucher programs and the other investigating Milwaukee’s voucher program, revealed that public schools held accountable by school choice react favorably by improving test scores and graduation rates. An August 2003 study by the Manhattan Institute revealed that public schools in Florida where students already had access to vouchers because of the school’s longtime low-performing history showed marked improvements of up to 10 scale score points on the state’s standardized test, the FCAT. Public schools that due to their low scores were most challenged with the prospect of vouchers showed improvements of up to 8 points on the FCAT. However, schools receiving the grade of D (a school must have three consecutive years graded F before its stu
