An Evaluation of Findings from Cleveland's State-Funded Voucher Program

Abstract

This study examines the results of multiple evaluations of the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Grant Program (CTSP), a state-funded voucher program, by exploring extant evaluations and literature. Attention will be given to the following research question: Does participation in the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Grant Program have the hypothesized positive effect on traditional public school students' academic achievement? Cleveland's voucher program provides an ideal contextualized setting for ascertaining the extent to which school choice programs afford poor families the same educational options available to affluent families. This study concludes that overall there are no statistically significant gains in voucher students' academic achievement. In fact, it appears that some voucher students performed slightly worse in math. The program does, however, afford low-income students the opportunity to attend private secular or religious schools in accordance with the program's initial design and intent.

About the Author

Willie J. Newton, Jr., holds the BLS degree from the University of Indianapolis, the MTS degree from the Christian Theological Seminary, the MRE and MDIV degrees from Shaw University Divinity School, and the MPA degree from the University of Oklahoma. He lives in Oklahoma.