In my last post I wrote about the first reason I support school vouchers–they promote the experimentation necessary to improve education. In response to that argument some people will say, “Sure Dan. I’m sure that happens in utopia-ville, but what about here in the real world?” My answer is simple–vouchers improve educational results.

Professor Patrick Wolf of the University of Arkansas’ Department of Educational Reform examined the 10 random-assignment of voucher programs and he found some interesting results. A summary spreadsheet is available here.

Wolf found that students and families tend to benefit from exercising school choice. He found that in 9 out of 10 experimental studies children benefited from school choice. Wolf also found that 80 percent of parents of students using scholarships in Washington, DC graded schools A or B, compared to 50 percent of the public school group. (Wolf et. al. 2007).

It should be noted that school choice isn’t magic. The results aren’t always startling the first year, but the gains become clear within a few years. Also not all of the studies showed test score improvements in the all of the children, but even when there weren’t improvements in the overall population there were improvements in important subgroups (usually African Americans). For example, in New York a private scholarship program closed the black-white test score gap by half in three years (Howell et. al. 2002).

Lastly, even when there weren’t significant test score improvements, parents were more satisfied with the schools and with the safety of the school when they had some school choice.

As Wolf states, “school choice programs tend to produce a variety of positive outcomes, but not necessarily immediately or under all conditions.”

The children who do not participate in the voucher program also tend to benefit from the increased competition. Belfield and Levin (2005) found that the “evidence shows reasonably consistent evidence of a link between competition (choice) and education quality. Increased competition and higher educational quality are positively correlated.”

In summary, the evidence shows school choice programs tend to provide benefits for children and their parents. These benefits aren’t always dramatic, but the overwhelming majority of studies indeed show benefits. Furthermore, public schools also tends to improve apparently as a result of competition with children in voucher programs. In other words, school choice is a win-win. Children in the programs benefit and children not in the programs benefit as well.

Given the current political environment, I think vouchers are the best way to promote creativity and experimentation in schools. For example, take this post from Alex Tabarrok at Marginal Revolution.

You know the plot. Young, idealistic teacher goes to inner-city high school. Said idealistic teacher is shocked by students who don’t know the basics and who are too preoccupied with the burdens of violence, poverty and indifference to want to learn. But the hero perseveres and at great personal sacrifice wins over the students using innovative teaching methods and heart. The kids go on to win the state spelling/chess/mathematics championship. c.f. Stand and Deliver, Freedom Writers, Dangerous Minds etc.

We are supposed to be uplifted by these stories but they depress me. If it takes a hero to save an inner city school then there is no hope. Heroes are not replicable.

Tabarrok explains that according to econometrician Ian Ayres the teaching method that works best is Direct Instruction where teachers follow a carefully designed script.

The problem with this is obvious. As Ayers states, “The education establishment is wedded to its pet theories regardless of what the evidence says.” As a result they have fought it tooth and nail so that “Direct Instruction, the oldest and most validated program, has captured only a little more than 1 percent of the grade-school market.”

What is the best way for more children to have access to schools using direct instruction or other forms of teaching such as Montessori instruction? I don’t know of a better way than vouchers. The necessary experimentation isn’t going to occur at the public schools barring some cataclysmic change from the NEA. But giving parents greater opportunity to choose schools for their children is one step to improving children’s education.