A new “longitudinal study” says public schools do as well as private schools in improving students’ math scores over a period of years. The Walton School of Vouchers and Charter Schools should shortly have a Jay Greene release debunking these results. But, until then:
Put another way by Sarah Lubienski, “school type alone doesn’t explain very much of why these scores vary … in truth, whether the school is public or private doesn’t seem to make that much difference.”
The researchers go on to write that they “personally see private schools as an integral part of the American system of education” and “there are many valid reasons why parents choose private schools and why policymakers may push for school choice.”
Academic achievement, however, may no longer be one of those reasons, they write. “Claims that simply switching students from one type of school to another will result in higher scores appear to be unfounded.”
They suggest “moving away from a simple focus on school type and instead examining what happens within schools.”