Voucher Pathways and Student Achievement in Indiana's Choice Scholarship Program

Area of Science:

• Education Policy
• Educational Psychology
• Economics of Education

Background:

• The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program offers students public funds to attend private schools.
• Understanding the academic impact of different student pathways within this program is crucial for policy evaluation.
• Previous research has not fully explored the nuanced effects of specific voucher utilization patterns on student achievement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between student pathways within the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program and academic achievement in math and English language arts.
• To analyze the impact of switching between public and private schools using vouchers on student outcomes.
• To compare achievement trends for students utilizing vouchers in different ways.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of student-level longitudinal data from Indiana.
• Matching voucher and non-voucher students to control for selection bias.
• Utilizing standardized assessment data from both public and private schools over time.

Main Results:

• Significant achievement losses were observed for students who transitioned from public to private schools using a voucher.
• Students consistently attending private schools before and after voucher receipt showed no significant changes in academic achievement.
• The specific pathway of voucher utilization is strongly associated with student academic performance.

Conclusions:

• The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program's impact on student achievement is contingent on the student's educational pathway.
• Policies should consider the potential negative consequences for students switching school sectors.
• Further research should explore the mechanisms driving achievement differences across voucher pathways.