American Economic Journal:
Applied Economics
ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)
Free to Choose: Can School Choice Reduce Student Achievement?
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 10,
no. 1, January 2018
(pp. 175–206)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
A central argument for school choice is that parents can choose schools wisely. This principle may underlie why lottery-based school evaluations have almost always reported positive or zero achievement effects. This paper reports on a striking counterexample to these results. We use randomized lotteries to evaluate the Louisiana Scholarship Program, a voucher plan that provides public funds for disadvantaged students to attend private schools. LSP participation lowers math scores by 0.4 standard deviations and also reduces achievement in reading, science, and social studies. These effects may be due in part to selection of low-quality private schools into the program.Citation
Abdulkadiroğlu, Atila, Parag A. Pathak, and Christopher R. Walters. 2018. "Free to Choose: Can School Choice Reduce Student Achievement?" American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 10 (1): 175–206. DOI: 10.1257/app.20160634Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I21 Analysis of Education
- I22 Educational Finance; Financial Aid
- I28 Education: Government Policy