Introduction to “Are Private Schools Really Better?”

Abstract

The political landscape concerning private school vouchers in the United States has changed dramatically since the time when “Are Private Schools Really Better?” was written. In 2000, California and Michigan became the latest states to reject school voucher programs proposed through voter initiatives, and it appeared as if all of the momentum regarding school choice in the United States was leaning toward public school choice programs – within-school district open enrollment programs and charter schools. A decade later, the political sands have shifted dramatically: With 13 states establishing or expanding state-sponsored private school choice programs in 2011, the Wall Street Journal declared 2011 “The Year of School Choice.” And at the time of writing, in 2012, a dozen additional states are entertaining new private school voucher programs, including potential new programs in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Moreover, while a decade ago religious schools were largely excluded from publicly funded voucher programs, today’s voucher programs permit religious schools to participate, and since the voucher programs are largely aimed at low-income families, religious schools are the most likely home of participants in the new voucher programs. With the expansion of private school voucher programs, the need for solid causal evidence regarding the relative performance of public and private schools is greater than ever. When we wrote “Are Private Schools Really Better?” the