The School Choice Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas has been carefully studying a variety of school choice programs around the country. In particular, they have produced a large number of studies on the nations oldest school choice program, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This school choice program provides modest-sized vouchers to all low income children in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).

The School Choice Demonstration Project has recently released a new study on the effects of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program on the likelihood of students graduating from high school and experiencing success in college. The authors of the study are researchers from the University of Kentucky, Furman University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Arkansas.

Comparing students who used vouchers under the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) in 2006 in either 8th or 9th grade to students enrolled in a Milwaukee Public School at the same time, these researchers found that

1) MPCP students were somewhat more likely to have graduated high school relative to similar students who had attended a Milwaukee Public School

2) MPCP students were less likely to enroll in a two-year or technical post-secondary institution

3) MPCP students were more likely to enroll in a four-year post-secondary institution

4) MPCP students who were in 9th grade in 2006 were more likely to both graduate and persist with two years of enrollment in a four-year post-secondary institution.

The full report on the effects of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program can be found at the link below:

http://www.uaedreform.org/SCDP/Milwaukee_Eval/Report_30.pdf

A recent evaluation of Washington, D.C.’s federal voucher program found similar results as well. This latter study found that using a voucher increased the likelihood of high school graduation by 21 percentage points among Washington D.C. students who were able to use a voucher to attend a private school.