School-Choice-Related Research

"Putting Arizona Education Reform to the Test: School Choice and Early Education Expansion", Goldwater Institute, Policy Report No. 216, 2/14/2007.   This report compares the results of two major education reform strategies implemented in Arizona: public school early childhood education and school choice.

"Funding Gaps 2006", Education Trust, 12/21/2006.   This report builds on the Education Trust’s annual studies of funding gaps among school districts within states.

"The Cato Education Market Analysis", Cato Institute, Policy Analysis no. 585, 12/21/2006.   An evaluation of the competition and market-based policies in American school systems.

"School Choice for Maryland: A Guide for Families and Voters", Maryland Public Policy Institute, 12/20/2006.   This handbook is written to inform Maryland parents and taxpayers and help give them the tools they need to benefit from the school choice revolution.

"Trends in the Use of School Choice: 1993 to 2003", National Center for Education Statistics, 12/20/2006.   This report uses data from the National Household Surveys Program (NHES) to present trends that focus on the use of and users of public school (assigned and chosen), private schools (church- and non church- related), and homeschoolers between 1993 and 2003.

"Signs of Promise: Hispanic Student Achievement in Charter Schools", National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 12/8/2006.   A growing body of research indicates encouraging news about the performance of Hispanic students in public charter schools.

"The High Cost of Failing to Reform Public Education in Indiana", Friedman Foundation, 11/20/2006.   The study finds that Indiana school districts facing more private school competition have lower public school dropout rates, and that a school choice program in Indiana would further improve public school dropout rates.

"Is Teacher Pay "Adequate?"", University of Arkansas Education Working Papers, 11/10/2006.   A consideration of the question of adequacy utilizing economic theory and data.

"The Fordham Report 2006: How Well Are States Educating Our Neediest Children?", Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, 11/1/2006.   A report from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation finds that just eight states can claim even moderate success over the past 15 years at boosting the percentage of their poor or minority students who are at or above proficient in reading, math or science. The study also finds that most states making significant achievement gains-including California, Delaware, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and Texas-are national leaders in education reform, indicating that solid standards, tough accountability, and greater school choice can yield better classroom results.

"Courting Failure: How School Finance Lawsuits Exploit Judges’ Good Intentions and Harm Our Children", Hoover Press, 11/3/2006.   This book exposes the politics behind the education “adequacy” lawsuits now sweeping the nation and challenges the flawed arguments behind many of the judicial decisions. These lawsuits charge that students fail to learn because public schools are underfunded. Given enough money, the argument goes, schools would be able to meet their state’s educational goals. This claim, however, lacks any real scientific proof to substantiate it and dramatically oversimplifies the problem.