How Much Do You Know About School Vouchers?

While not specific to this space, I’m betting this will be an interesting read with overtones for folks in our field.

How Much Do You Know About School Vouchers? View this email in your browser Thursday, May 25, 2023 Newsletter SHARE THIS EMAIL: In March of 2018, the UCLA Civil Rights Project convened a group of education scholars for a Capitol briefing in Washington, in the wake of the Trump administration’s plans to funnel billions of dollars into vouchers—public subsidies that support private school tuition. The goal was to collect the highest-quality evidence available so that Congress would have this information at their fingertips as they considered this major change to federal K-12 education policy. One outgrowth of this convening is a just-released book, The School Voucher Illusion: Exploring the Pretense of Equity, edited by NEPC director Kevin Welner of the University of Colorado Boulder and by NEPC fellows Gary Orfield of UCLA and Luis A. Huerta of Teachers College, Columbia University. Ultimately, Trump’s federal voucher expansion failed. However, in the years since the convening, the voucher movement has picked up steam at the state level, markedly expanding in states with Republican-led legislatures. Given this reality, it is more important than ever for practitioners, policy makers, and members of the public to understand this rapidly growing policy trend. Accordingly, we have developed a 10-question quiz based on The School Voucher Illusion, which provides the latest historical, contextual, and empirical evidence on what we know about school vouchers. Test your understanding of what you know and what you have yet to learn about school vouchers. To try your hand at the school-voucher quiz, click here now! NEPC Resources on Vouchers -> This newsletter is made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: http://www.greatlakescenter.org The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, sponsors research, produces policy briefs, and publishes expert third-party reviews of think tank reports. NEPC publications are written in accessible language and are intended for a broad audience that includes academic experts, policymakers, the media, and the general public. Our mission is to provide high-quality information in support of democratic deliberation about education policy.  We are guided by the belief that the democratic governance of public education is strengthened when policies are based on sound evidence and support a multiracial society that is inclusive, kind, and just. Visit us at: http://nepc.colorado.edu/ Copyright 2023 National Education Policy Center. All rights reserved.

NEPC
National Education Policy Center
School of Education, University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309

NEPC Talks Education: Discussing the Causes and Potential Consequences of Declining Enrollment

While not an issue related to K-12 distance, online, and blended learning, it is an important report review from the National Education Policy Center that had overtones relevant to readers of this space.

NEPC Talks Education podcasts feature insightful and engaging conversations about significant education policy and practice topics. View this email in your browser Tuesday, May 23, 2023 Publication Announcement KEY TAKEAWAY: NEPC Talks Education podcasts feature insightful and engaging conversations about significant education policy and practice topics. NEPC Podcast -> NEPC Resources on Politics, Policy, and School Practices -> CONTACT: Alex Molnar: (480) 797-7261 nepc.molnar@gmail.com Faith Boninger: (480) 390-6736 fboninger@gmail.com Christopher Saldaña: (608) 262-8866 cmsaldana@wisc.edu BOULDER, CO (May 23, 2023)—In this month’s episode of NEPC Talks Education, Christopher Saldaña discusses the causes and potential consequences of declining enrollment in K-12 public schools with Thomas Dee, the Barnett Family Professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, and Sally Nuamah, a professor of Urban Politics in Human Development, Social Policy, and Political Science at Northwestern University. Dee identifies various factors contributing to the decline in public school enrollment, including delayed school reopening, parents delaying their child’s enrollment, school choice, remote work, and decreasing birth rates across the US. He emphasizes the importance of addressing this decline as it affects the financial well-being of school districts. Nuamah details findings from her new book, Closed for Democracy, which highlights the impact of school closures on Black families and communities in Chicago and Philadelphia’s K-12 public schools. She argues that closing schools removes key democratic organizations from communities, and she explains that even when communities successfully stop a school from closing, the victory often comes at a cost, resulting in disillusionment and distrust in the democratic process. Both Dee and Nuamah recommend policymakers prepare for a potentially challenging period of educational policymaking. Dee suggests that state leaders provide clear and sufficient guidance to district leaders on how to deal with the financial fallout from declining enrollment and expiring federal pandemic relief funds. Nuamah recommends policymakers pay particular attention to the root causes of declining enrollment in low-income communities of color, such as the impact of gentrification on affordable housing and access to social services, instead of relying on the reactive policy of school closures, which disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities around the country. A new NEPC Talks Education podcast episode hosted by Christopher Saldaña will be released each month from September through May. Don’t worry if you miss a month. All episodes are archived on the NEPC website and can be found here. NEPC podcast episodes are also available on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher, under the title NEPC Talks Education. Subscribe and follow! The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, sponsors research, produces policy briefs, and publishes expert third-party reviews of think tank reports. NEPC publications are written in accessible language and are intended for a broad audience that includes academic experts, policymakers, the media, and the general public. Our mission is to provide high-quality information in support of democratic deliberation about education policy. We are guided by the belief that the democratic governance of public education is strengthened when policies are based on sound evidence and support a multiracial society that is inclusive, kind, and just. Visit us at: http://nepc.colorado.edu/ Copyright 2023 National Education Policy Center. All rights reserved.

NEPC
National Education Policy Center
School of Education, University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309

Useful But Flawed Analysis of Impact of Charter Schools on Traditional Public Schools

While not an issue related to K-12 distance, online, and blended learning, it is an important report review from the National Education Policy Center that had overtones relevant to readers of this space.

Report fairly assesses existing empirical evidence but ultimately makes claims and recommendations that are not supported by the research. View this email in your browser Thursday, May 18, 2023 Publication Announcement KEY TAKEAWAY: Report fairly assesses existing empirical evidence but ultimately makes claims and recommendations that are not supported by the research. NEPC Review -> Document Reviewed -> NEPC Resources on Charter Schools -> CONTACT: Alex Molnar: (480) 797-7261 nepc.molnar@gmail.com Huriya Jabbar: (512) 475-8586 jabbar@austin.utexas.edu BOULDER, CO (May 18, 2023)—A recent report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute considers whether charter schools increase or decrease traditional public school districts’ total revenues, instructional spending per pupil, and efficiency. Though the report has useful starting points in looking at the impact of charters, its policy recommendations are flawed. Huriya Jabbar of the University of Texas at Austin reviewed Think Again: Do Charter Schools Drain Resources From Traditional Public Schools? and found its claims to be largely unsupported by evidence. Based on its review of literature, the report finds that charter schools have mixed impacts on district finances; additionally, it suggests that while short-term effects may be negative, traditional public schools facing charter competition see improved efficiency over time. The report references most of the relevant literature and fairly assesses the evidence. However, it makes claims and policy recommendations that are untested empirically and unwarranted based on the research. For example, it concludes that districts’ higher expenditures in a charter environment are due to policies protecting traditional public schools from revenue fluctuations caused by charter competition. In doing so, it fails to consider other possible explanations, such as charters strategically enrolling relatively few students who are particularly costly to educate. The report also suggests that public school closures resulting from unsupportable enrollment decline are a positive outcome of competition—downplaying how severely closures disrupt and negatively impact marginalized students and communities. Professor Jabbar concludes that while the report may be a good resource for identifying studies related to the important questions it asks, its unsupported claims and recommendations make its advice of little use to policymakers. Find the review, by Huriya Jabbar, at: https://nepc.colorado.edu/review/think-again Find Think Again: Do Charter Schools Drain Resources From Traditional Public Schools?, written by David Griffith and published by the Fordham Institute, at: https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/think-again-do-charter-schools-drain-resources-traditional-public-schools 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: http://www.greatlakescenter.org/ The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, sponsors research, produces policy briefs, and publishes expert third-party reviews of think tank reports. NEPC publications are written in accessible language and are intended for a broad audience that includes academic experts, policymakers, the media, and the general public. Our mission is to provide high-quality information in support of democratic deliberation about education policy. We are guided by the belief that the democratic governance of public education is strengthened when policies are based on sound evidence and support a multiracial society that is inclusive, kind, and just. Visit us at: http://nepc.colorado.edu/ Copyright 2023 National Education Policy Center. All rights reserved.

NEPC
National Education Policy Center
School of Education, University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309

Virtual Schools Continue to Underperform, Have Little Research Support, and Lack Adequate Regulation

Another notice of the recent NEPC virtual schools report.

Full-time virtual schools continue to yield very poor outcomes. View this email in your browser Thursday, May 11, 2023 Publication Announcement KEY TAKEAWAY: Full-time virtual schools continue to yield very poor outcomes. NEPC Publication -> NEPC Resources on Virtual Education -> CONTACT: Alex Molnar: (480) 797-7261 nepc.molnar@gmail.com Gary Miron: (269) 599-7965 gary.miron@wmich.edu BOULDER, CO (May 11, 2023)—Virtual school performance, research, and policy have changed very little since 2013 when the National Education Policy Center began publishing regular comprehensive reports on virtual schooling. Virtual school performance remains poor, little if any research supports the claimed benefits of virtual schooling, and state regulatory policies are still inadequate. Nonetheless the unsupported claims are widely believed and virtual schools continue to proliferate. Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2023 provides a scholarly analysis of the characteristics and performance of publicly funded K-12 virtual schools. It reviews the available research on virtual school practices, examines recent state legislative efforts, and provides policy recommendations. Organized into three sections: (1) Full-Time Virtual Schools: Enrollment, Student Characteristics, and Performance; (2) Assessing Virtual Schools After a Global Pandemic: A Reality of Unfulfilled Promises; and (3) Key Policy Issues in Virtual Schools: Finance and Governance, Instructional Quality, and Teacher Quality, the brief’s recommendations to policymakers include: Require federal and state education agencies to accurately identify and monitor full-time virtual schools, remedying gaps in information transparency on performance measures and accountability. Establish requirements for reduced student-to-teacher ratios and regular contact between teachers and online students. Slow or stop the growth of virtual schools until substantial academic and/or non-academic outcomes improve and benefits are comparable with brick-and-mortar public schools. Require Individualized Education Plans for all students in virtual schools, akin to those special education students receive. The plans should indicate if students need standardized or personalized programs and then deliver content according to these plans. Require virtual school graduation rates to align with statewide averages. If the virtual school fails to meet these benchmarks, assign it probationary status after a year and close after five years of probationary status. Require virtual schools to maintain a within-school-year student mobility threshold equal to the mobility rate of brick-and-mortar schools. Develop new accountability structures for virtual schools, calculate the revenue needed to support them, and provide adequate funding. Require high-quality curricula, aligned with applicable state and district standards, and monitor changes to digital content. Delineate the definitions of adequate quantity of instruction to ensure subject mastery. Examine the work and responsibilities of virtual school administrators and ensure that those hired for these roles are prepared with the knowledge and skills to be effective, particularly with respect to evaluating teachers and promoting best practices. Find Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2023, by Alex Molnar, Gary Miron, Shelby Hagle, Charisse Gulosino, Bryan Mann, Luis Huerta, Jennifer King Rice, Amanda Glover, and Kayla Bill, at: https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2023 This research brief is made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: http://www.greatlakescenter.org The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, sponsors research, produces policy briefs, and publishes expert third-party reviews of think tank reports. NEPC publications are written in accessible language and are intended for a broad audience that includes academic experts, policymakers, the media, and the general public. Our mission is to provide high-quality information in support of democratic deliberation about education policy. We are guided by the belief that the democratic governance of public education is strengthened when policies are based on sound evidence and support a multiracial society that is inclusive, kind, and just. Visit us at: http://nepc.colorado.edu/ Copyright 2023 National Education Policy Center. All rights reserved.

NEPC
National Education Policy Center
School of Education, University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309

Eight Ways to Increase Charter School Equity

While not an issue related to K-12 distance, online, and blended learning, it is an important issue from the National Education Policy Center that all educational communities should be aware of.

Eight Ways to Increase Charter School Equity View this email in your browser Tuesday, May 9, 2023 Newsletter SHARE THIS EMAIL: On Sunday, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story describing how one of the top-ranked high schools in Pennsylvania (according to U.S. News & World Report) had surreptitiously manipulated its purportedly random lottery, thereby controlling which students it enrolled and which it turned away, according to a whistleblower. This was not the first time that this school, Franklin Towne Charter High School near Philadelphia, has been called out for finding ways to avoid enrolling students it considers less desirable—particularly students with special needs. In fact, this charter’s practices are noted several times in the 2021 book, School’s Choice: How Charter Schools Control Access and Shape Enrollment. The book, authored by doctoral candidate Wagma Mommandiand NEPC director Kevin Welner, both of the University of Colorado Boulder, details the many ways that charter operators exacerbate inequity by directly and indirectly influencing which students they enroll and retain. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Charter schools and their authorizers can instead aim for the opposite objective, implementing policies and practices that incentivize and increase equity. In an excerpt from the book that is currently available to read for free on the website of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Teachers’ College, Columbia University, Mommandi and Welner highlight real-world examples of steps that can lower common obstacles to charter school access. Here are eight ways that charter schools and their authorizers can help accomplish this goal. Mystery shopper programs: Authorizers in Washington, DC, and Massachusetts contact charter schools anonymously to inquire about enrolling their children. If school staff behave in ways that discourage certain categories of students from applying (e.g., by stating that they cannot meet the needs of students with disabilities, or by failing to provide information in Spanish), the authorizers follow up to address the concerns. Diverse-by-design schools: Schools can build diversity into their design by setting goals around serving students equitably. For example, some charter schools set aside a certain percentage of their seats for students living in public housing—or aim to enroll the same share of students with disabilities as the non-charter public schools in their vicinities. Authorizers can in turn encourage this behavior by refusing to approve charters that fail to take such steps, or by encouraging founders to develop schools with built-in equity goals. Unified enrollment systems and common applications: Some charter schools exacerbate inequity by implementing opaque and time-consuming application processes that are difficult for many families to navigate, or by selectively advertising openings to the types of students they hope to attract. Moreover, when every charter school has its own application process, it can take families an inordinate amount of time to apply to multiple schools. Districts in some cities have addressed these challenges by implementing a single, relatively simple, and well-publicized application or system for all local choice options. Incentivizing equity: Some district authorizers have offered charter schools spaces in their buildings and additional funding in exchange for practices that increase equity—such as serving students with disabilities that are relatively resource-intensive to serve. Easing residency verification: For a variety of reasons, families can find it challenging to produce documents that prove they reside in a school district. For example, a family that rents a room in someone else’s home may lack a formal lease or utility bills in their name. Schools can help families overcome this challenge by offering alternative means of proving residency, such as visiting students at their homes to verify where they live. Providing transportation: When charter schools do not provide transportation, they make it challenging for students to enroll if their parents cannot accompany their children to and from school each day. By providing free transportation, charter schools make themselves accessible to all children, including those whose parents who lack (reliable) cars, carfare, or flexible work schedules. Participate in the federal free/reduced-price meal program: Charters that fail to provide school meals make it challenging for students from low-income families to enroll. Remove incentives that prioritize standardized test scores: Scores on standardized tests are highly correlated with students’ socioeconomic status. When authorizers or states provide “performance” funding tied to test results, they incentivize charter schools to engage in practices that discourage the enrollment of children from low-income families. NEPC Resources on Charter Schools -> This newsletter is made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: http://www.greatlakescenter.org The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, sponsors research, produces policy briefs, and publishes expert third-party reviews of think tank reports. NEPC publications are written in accessible language and are intended for a broad audience that includes academic experts, policymakers, the media, and the general public. Our mission is to provide high-quality information in support of democratic deliberation about education policy.  We are guided by the belief that the democratic governance of public education is strengthened when policies are based on sound evidence and support a multiracial society that is inclusive, kind, and just. Visit us at: http://nepc.colorado.edu/ Copyright 2023 National Education Policy Center. All rights reserved.

NEPC
National Education Policy Center
School of Education, University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309