Working Paper: NBER ID: w11597
Authors: David N. Figlio; Cecilia Elena Rouse
Abstract: In this paper we study the effects of the threat of school vouchers and school stigma in Florida on the performance of "low-performing" schools using student-level data from a subset of districts. Estimates of the change in school-level high-stakes test scores from the first year of the reform are consistent with the early results used by the state of Florida to claim large-scale improvements associated with the threat of voucher assignment. However, we also find that much of this estimated effect may be due to other factors. While we estimate a small relative improvement in reading scores on the high-stakes test for voucher-threatened/stigmatized schools, we estimate a much smaller relative improvement on a lower-stakes, nationally norm-referenced, test. Further, the relative gains in reading scores are explained largely by changing student characteristics. We find more evidence for a positive differential effect on math test scores on both the low- and highstakes tests, however, the results from the lower-stakes test appear primarily limited to students in the high-stakes grade. Finally, we find some evidence that the relative improvements following the introduction of the A Plan by low-performing schools were more due to the stigma of receiving the low grade rather than the threat of vouchers.
Keywords: school accountability; vouchers; low-performing schools; education reform; Florida
JEL Codes: I20; I21
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Threat of vouchers (H52) | Improvement in high-stakes test scores (I21) |
| Stigma (J70) | Improvement in high-stakes test scores (I21) |
| Changing student characteristics (I24) | Improvement in high-stakes test scores (I21) |
| Threat of vouchers (H52) | Small increase in reading scores (I24) |
| Threat of vouchers (H52) | Smaller increase in lower-stakes tests (D29) |
| Threat of vouchers (H52) | Positive effects on math scores (C29) |
| Stigma (J70) | Improvements in test scores (I21) |
| Low grade (Y40) | Improvements in test scores (I21) |