WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal study shows that students enrolled in a private-school voucher program in the nation’s capital are doing worse in math than their peers.
A report released Thursday shows that students who received public vouchers to attend private schools in the District of Columbia scored 7.3 percentile points lower in math one year into the program. Students who entered the voucher program from low-performing schools showed no change in their math and reading skills.
The Education Department’s Institute of Education Sciences looked at students who enrolled in the program in the years 2012-2014.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Washington’s schools-choice programs should be evaluated in a broader context than a one-year study. She is a longtime school-choice advocate and noted that students’ parents support the program.