GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (October 12, 2023) — The 2023 edition of a semi-regular EdChoice report about school-choice studies is billed as an updated overview of the research on outcomes in voucher-like programs that provide public funding for private schools. But like earlier editions of this report, it uses flawed methods.
The report examines research on student achievement, access, competitive effects, and other topics, claiming it will help policy-makers and parents weigh the benefits and costs of these voucher programs. The report seeks to tally all the relevant studies meeting its criteria and summarize the findings in an easy-to-understand format.
Christopher Lubienski of Indiana University reviewed the report, “The 123s of School Choice: What the Research Says About Private School Choice Programs in America, 2023 Edition,” and found fault in its study selection, a misrepresentation of the values of the studies and a simplistic and often-misleading design.
In its report, EdChoice claims to show that school choice works based on finding more positive than negative studies. Yet, as Lubienski explains, this is a simplistic, flawed approach that obscures important differences in studies and can create a misleading narrative about the research evidence.
Moreover, the report does not fully disclose its strategies for including studies, some of which are questionable. While it claims to present the research in a fair way, the report excludes or downplays research that is not as favorable to its agenda. In the end, this report is somewhat useful as a selective bibliography of studies, but the methodology at the heart of the report seriously limits its use for evaluating these policies.
Find the review, by Christopher Lubienski, at: greatlakescenter.org.
Find The 123s of School Choice: What the Research Says About Private School Choice Programs in America, 2023 Edition, published by EdChoice, at:
edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/123s-of-School-Choice-WEB-07-10-23.pdf
NEPC Reviews (https://nepc.colorado.edu/reviews) provide the public, policymakers, and the press with timely, academically-sound reviews of selected publications. NEPC Reviews are made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: greatlakescenter.org.
The mission of the Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice is to support and disseminate high-quality research and reviews of research for the purpose of informing education policy and to develop research-based resources for use by those who advocate for education reform. Visit the Great Lakes Center website at GreatLakesCenter.org.
