The Potential Impact of Large-Scale Voucher Programs

This review assesses the potential impact of large-scale voucher programs, drawing on empirical literature in economics, education, and sociology. The discussion is guided by three research questions, grounded within an economic framework. First, are private schools more efficient than public schools? Second, does the increasingly competitive schooling market promoted by vouchers cause public schools to become more efficient? And third, do vouchers result in increased student sorting across public and private schools--perhaps increasing segregation by socioeconomic status--and what does sorting portend for student outcomes? For some questions, there is a paucity" of credible evidence. For others, evidence from non-voucher systems is used inappropriately to forecast the impact of vouchers. The review concludes that empirical evidence is not sufficiently compelling to justif3, either strong advocacy or opposition to large-scale voucher programs.