Final Research Released on DC OSP

In early March, the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences released what is referred to as a “What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review” of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Evaluation.  The original study of this voucher program, completed by Patrick Wolf and colleagues, was released during summer 2010 (Wolf et al., 2010).  Its goal was to assess whether winning a lottery for the Opportunity Scholarship Program improved reading and math achievement among low-income students, and their probability of graduating from high school.
 
Highlights from the recent Quick Review and the overall evaluation include the following:

• Students who received a voucher and attended a private school showed gains in reading, but no gains in math achievement.
• Student graduation rates for those who received a voucher were significantly higher than those who did not receive a voucher: 82% vs. 70%.
• The program impacted parents’, but not students’, ratings of school safety and satisfaction.  Wolf et al. reported that “parents were more satisfied and felt school was safer if their child was offered or used on OSP scholarship” (2010, p. xvi).

 Institute for Education Sciences. (2011, March). WWC Quick Review of the Report “Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Final Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
 
Click here to access the review of the report: Wolf, P., Gutmann, B., Puma, M., Kisida, B., Rizzo, L., Eissa, N., & Carr, M. (2010). Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Final report (NCEE 2010-4018). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.