When the analysis was repeated using only schools located in districts
designated by the State as "major urban-very high poverty," the results
were virtually unchanged. This suggests that the results of the analysis
are consistent between school types.
Finally, the Edchoice program was more restricted in its first year of
operation than it is today. Since previous research suggests that the
positive impact of vouchers on public school increases when the programs
grow, it is reasonable to expect to expect that the program's current
benefits probably exceed those detected in this study.
The study was authored by Friedman Foundation Fellow Greg Foster. It
adds to a large body of other research material which finds that
vouchers improve the outcomes in public schools. Vouchers, the Friedman
Foundation contends, allow families to choose schools to meet their
children's needs and introduce competitive incentive for improvement
that are lacking in the traditional government-run education system.
Five Ohio organizations, including School Choice Ohio and four national
organizations including Agudath Israel of America and the Hispanic
Council for Reform and Educational Options, sponsored the study.