Study of the Voluntary Public School Choice Program. Final Report

摘要

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) expanded public school choice opportunities for students. First, the new accountability requirements in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (Title I, Section 1116(b)) required districts to offer public school choice to students in Title I schools that are identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring as a result of not meeting state definitions for adequate yearly progress (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Second, the law created the Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Program (Title V, Subpart 3, Section 5241 of the ESEA), which is the subject of this report. The program supports the emergence and growth of choice initiatives across the country, by assisting states and local school districts in developing innovative strategies to expand choice options for students. This report contains the final assessment of the first five years of the VPSC Program (2002-07). The evaluation was charged with assessing the VPSC Program's progress in meeting the goals and fulfilling the intent of the original legislation. The evaluation addressed three central questions: (1) What are the characteristics of the VPSC Program's sites. (2) How and to what extent does the VPSC Program promote educational equity and excellence. (3) What academic achievement is associated with the VPSC Program.