What is the impact of school choice on encouraging civic values?
Research shows that private schools and school choice programs promote and advance good citizenship and democratic values. Students at private schools tend to be more tolerant of the rights of others, more likely to vote, and more likely to be volunteers than students at public schools. Private schools benefit from being legally permitted to have a point of view, which allows private schools to handle controversial topics and issues in a straightforward manner. This pedagogical flexibility may help con¬vey a tangible sense of what tolerance and civic duty require in practice. Patrick Wolf of the University of Arkansas conducted a systematic review of all empirical studies comparing civic values in public and private schools. Among 23 findings based on random assignment (using lotteries to admit applicants to voucher programs) or other highly rigorous methods, Wolf reports that 12 found better civic values in private schools, while 10 found no visible difference, and only one found bett
