Research Database
What the Studies Say
If you’re going to spend tax dollars on a child’s education, you ought to know what the evidence says. This is EFI’s curated catalog of studies on educational freedom and school choice. Use Category, Subcategory, Finding, and Year filters, or search. Sorted by publication year, newest first.
| Category | Subcategory | Outcomes | Area/Region | Authors | Year | Finding | Summary | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy | Vouchers | Achievement | Milwaukee | Rouse | 1998 | Mixed | High mathematic achievement growth in voucher program, no significance with reading | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Achievement | Milwaukee | Greene, Peterson, Du | 1999 | Positive | Moderately large gains in first 4 years for families in Milwaukee choice program | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | D.C. | Wolf, Peterson, West | 2001 | Positive | Significant achievement gains for Charter students, higher parental satisfaction | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Satisfaction | San Francisco | Peterson, Campbell, West | 2001 | Positive | Families receiving scholarships were more satisfied than those remaining in public schools | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Participation/Satisfaction | USA | Peterson, Campbell | 2001 | Mixed | Insignificant differences in participation, higher levels of satisfaction for private school parents | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | D.C., NYC, Dayton | Howell et al. | 2002 | Positive | Significant gains in achievement for African-American students in voucher programs | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Civic Issues | USA | Campbell | 2002 | Positive | Private school students show greater engagement and development in civic/community issues | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | NYC | Barnard et al. | 2003 | Positive | Positive effects on math scores for students in program, particularly African-American children | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | NYC | Krueger, Zhu | 2004 | Null | No visible effect on test score gains in voucher experiment | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | Ohio | Bettinger | 2005 | Null | Economics of Education Review: Ohio charters had little average effect on charter students or neighboring public-school achievement in an early panel. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | Florida | Sass | 2006 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy: Florida charters underperform in the first years of operation but converge toward TPS performance as schools mature. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Sorting | Chile | Hsieh, Urquiola | 2006 | Mixed | Journal of Public Economics: Chile nationwide voucher associated with cream-skimming/sorting and little average national test-score gain. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Achievement | D.C., NYC, Dayton | Howell, Peterson | 2006 | Mixed | Insignificant gains in achievement, but significant improvement in parental safety perception | Visit Link |
| Academics | Open Enrollment | Test Scores | Chicago | Cullen, Jacob, Levitt | 2006 | Null | Econometrica: Chicago open-enrollment lotteries produced little average gain in test scores despite changing school peer composition. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | North Carolina | Bifulco, Ladd | 2006 | Negative | Education Finance and Policy: North Carolina charters produced smaller achievement gains than traditional publics in the program’s early years, especially in math. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Civic Issues | Toledo, Ohio | Bettinger, Slonim | 2006 | Null | No significant effects of voucher program on altruism or test scores | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Test Scores | Colombia | Angrist, Bettinger, Kremer | 2006 | Positive | AER: PACES vouchers in Colombia raised secondary completion and test scores, with persistent longer-run attainment gains. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | Texas | Booker, Gilpatric, Gronberg, Jansen | 2007 | Mixed | Journal of Public Economics: Texas charter attendance associated with negative first-year test-score effects that improve as charters mature. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Participation | Minnesota | Reback | 2008 | Positive | Economics of Education Review: Minnesota interdistrict open enrollment demand flows toward higher-scoring districts; supply of seats also shapes who can transfer. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice/Vouchers | Achievement | Milwaukee | Lamarche | 2008 | Mixed | Positive gains for high-performing kids, losses for low-performing kids (albeit smaller than expected in TPS) | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Achievement | Charlotte, N.C. | Cowen | 2008 | Positive | Moderately positive achievement gains in voucher program | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition | Michigan | Ni | 2009 | Negative | Economics of Education Review: Michigan charter competition associated with small negative effects on district-school achievement in some specifications. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | New York City | Hoxby, Murarka, Kang | 2009 | Positive | NBER w14852: NYC charter lotteries in the 2000s show positive annual achievement gains, larger the longer students remain in charter schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | NYC | Jin, Barnard, Rubin | 2010 | Positive | Math performance increases after switching from public to private | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | Gleason, et al. | 2010 | Mixed | IES/Mathematica national lottery evaluation: average charter middle-school impacts near zero, with more positive effects in urban/low-income settings. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition | USA | Imberman | 2011 | Mixed | Journal of Public Economics: charter entry associated with modest TPS elementary math/language declines and improved middle/high-school discipline in a large urban district. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | New York City | Dobbie, Fryer | 2011 | Positive | AEJ: Applied: Harlem Promise Academy lottery estimates large test-score gains for admitted students. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Flows | Minnesota / Colorado | Carlson, Lavery, Witte | 2011 | Mixed | EEPA: interdistrict open-enrollment flows follow achievement, demographics, and proximity, showing both opportunity and stratification channels. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | College Attainment | Florida / Chicago | Booker, Sass, Gill, Zimmer | 2011 | Positive | Journal of Labor Economics: among charter-middle students, those who continue to a charter high school in Florida and Chicago have higher diploma and college-enrollment rates than those who switch to TPS high schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | Massachusetts | Abdulkadiroğlu, Angrist, Dynarski, Kane, Pathak | 2011 | Positive | QJE: Boston charter lotteries produce large math and ELA gains, comparable to high-performing urban charters elsewhere. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | Zimmer, Gill, Booker, Lavertu, Witte | 2012 | Mixed | Economics of Education Review: student-fixed-effects analysis across seven states finds charter effects near TPS on average, with large variation by site and years of operation. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Achievement | D.C. | Wolf et al. | 2013 | Positive | D.C. voucher program indicates positive trends in graduation rates and achievement | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Practices | USA | Dobbie, Fryer | 2013 | Positive | AEJ: Applied: among NYC charters, teacher feedback, data-driven instruction, tutoring, increased time, and high expectations explain much of the achievement variation. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Attainment | Milwaukee | Cowen, Fleming, Witte, Wolf, Kisida | 2013 | Positive | Policy Studies Journal: Milwaukee Parental Choice Program students show higher high-school graduation and 4-year college enrollment/persistence than matched MPS students despite mixed test-score history. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | CREDO (Stanford) | 2013 | Mixed | National Charter School Study II: average charter effects near zero nationally, with urban and high-poverty charters more often positive and online charters strongly negative. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Satisfaction | Arizona | Butcher, Bedrick | 2013 | Positive | Higher satisfaction for parents using ESAs than their previous public school | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | Massachusetts | Angrist, Pathak, Walters | 2013 | Mixed | AEJ: Applied: urban (often No Excuses) MA charters raise achievement; nonurban charters show null-to-negative test-score effects. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Civic Outcomes | Milwaukee | Fleming, Mitchell, McNally | 2014 | Positive | Journal of School Choice: Milwaukee voucher parents report political and civic engagement at least as high as public-school counterparts. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Competition | Florida | Figlio, Hart | 2014 | Positive | AEJ: Applied: Florida tax-credit scholarship announcement produced modest public-school test-score gains where private competition was denser. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Magnet Schools | College Attainment | Charlotte | Deming, Hastings, Kane, Staiger | 2014 | Positive | AER: winning a lottery to a preferred neighborhood/choice school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg raised postsecondary attainment, especially for girls. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Charter Schools | Funding Equity | USA | Batdorff, Maloney, May, Wolf | 2014 | Negative | University of Arkansas: charters receive substantially less per-pupil public revenue than TPS in most states studied (predecessor to later inequity reports). | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Special Education | New York City | Winters | 2015 | Mixed | Education Next / NYC-Denver evidence: the charter special-education enrollment gap is driven mainly by parental application and classification differences, not pushout. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | Tuttle, et al. | 2015 | Positive | Mathematica KIPP scale-up evaluation: KIPP middle schools produce sizable lottery-based math and reading gains as the network expands. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Test Scores | India | Muralidharan, Sundararaman | 2015 | Mixed | QJE Andhra Pradesh village-level voucher RCT: lottery winners similar to losers in math/Telugu, higher Hindi and slightly higher scores averaged across subjects, at much lower per-pupil cost; no negative spillovers on non-applicants. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Attainment | New York City | Dobbie, Fryer | 2015 | Positive | Journal of Political Economy: medium-term Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy impacts include higher college enrollment and reduced pregnancy/incarceration. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Charters | Test Scores | USA | CREDO (Stanford) | 2015 | Negative | Online Charter School Study: full-time online charters associated with large negative annual growth in math and reading versus TPS virtual twins. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Attainment | Sweden | Böhlmark, Lindahl | 2015 | Positive | Economica: Sweden independent-school (voucher) expansion raised short- and long-run educational outcomes at the municipality level, mainly via competition/external effects. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | NYC | Bitler et al. | 2015 | Null | Program had insignificant effects on achievement scores | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Research Methods | USA | Zimmer, Engberg | 2016 | Mixed | JSC: lottery evaluations of voucher, charter, magnet, and open-enrollment programs often have limited external validity; the authors propose sensitivity checks to bound how broadly lottery estimates should be generalized. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | Wearne | 2016 | Positive | Hybrid homeschool parents value a variety of factors when making their choice | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Staffing | USA urban | Torres | 2016 | Mixed | JSC interviews: strict CMO discipline can create order that helps teachers feel successful, but a negative behavioral climate undermines efficacy and can raise turnover. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | School Identity | Alberta | Thompson, Gereluk, Kowch | 2016 | Positive | JSC narratives from 73 stakeholders across 13 Alberta charters: an explicitly articulated school identity is associated with heightened trust and authenticity relative to large bureaucratic settings. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Earnings and Attainment | Florida | Sass, Zimmer, Gill, Booker | 2016 | Positive | JPAM: Florida charter high schools raise educational attainment and earnings relative to similar students in traditional public high schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Virtual Schools | USA | Saiger | 2016 | Mixed | JSC legal analysis: charters and virtual schooling erode the public/private binary that has kept homeschooling unfunded and tightly regulated, weakening obstacles to public finance of home-based learning. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accountability | Arizona | Milliman | 2016 | Mixed | JSC 2003-09 Arizona elementary campuses under NCLB and AZLearns: student-demographic differences muddy which sector improves faster, but charters show a clearer advantage on closing deficient schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | U.K. | Miller, Pomson, Wolf | 2016 | Null | Multiple factors impact parents’ decisions for sending their children to Jewish schools | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Demographics | USA | Malkus | 2016 | Positive | Charter demographics do not deviate from TPS’ composition in traditional ways | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Satisfaction (Special Ed) | Mississippi | Kittredge | 2016 | Positive | Parental satisfaction is overwhelming for ESAs assisting special needs students | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | Northern Ireland | Kelleher, Smyth, McEldowney | 2016 | Mixed | JSC stated-preference models: most Northern Ireland parents would not oppose ending religious segregation; free transport is not a significant choice factor, and academic-quality aspirations are higher among more affluent parents. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Preparation | Indiana & Kentucky | Johnston | 2016 | Positive | Desegregation laws continue to impact perceptions and policies in urban districts | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | English Learners | USA | Garcia & Morales | 2016 | Mixed | Charter authorizers vary in their implementation of ELL equity programs | Visit Link |
| Academics | Catholic Schools | Attainment | USA | Freeman, Berends | 2016 | Mixed (Mainly Positive) | JSC nationally representative data: Catholic high school attendance raises the probability of continuing in education, but the Catholic-school advantage is not persistent across measures of college institutional selectivity. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Test Scores | Ohio | Figlio, Karbownik | 2016 | Mixed | Fordham: Ohio EdChoice users scored lower on state tests than similar stayers, while eligible public-school students facing more competition saw modest gains. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Literature Review | USA | Egalite, Wolf | 2016 | Mixed | Peabody Journal of Education: reviews U.S. private-choice research on tests, attainment, competition, civic outcomes, and fiscal effects. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Religious Schools | Educational Pluralism | Netherlands | Dronkers | 2016 | Mixed | JSC essay on Dutch publicly funded Islamic primary schools: voucher-style funding enabled founding, but quality evidence is mixed and administrative capacity and value-alignment issues persist. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Human Rights | Europe | Donnelly | 2016 | Positive | Home education is an important human right that must be protected | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Politics | Georgia | Conaway, Scafidi, Stephenson | 2016 | Positive | JSC county analysis of Georgia’s 2012 Charter Schools Amendment: support was higher where public schools were lower-achieving and among more-educated, private-school, homeowner, and (unlike the legislative vote) more Democratic counties, and lower where public-school employment was higher. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Special Education | USA | Cheng, Tuchman, Wolf | 2016 | Positive | JSC NHES: homeschool parents report higher satisfaction with special-education services than parents in traditional public schools and in a range of private schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Sovereignty | Indian Country (USA) | Castagno, Garcia, Blalock | 2016 | Mixed | JSC: school choice in Indian Country must be read through tribal sovereignty and nation-building rather than standard market frames, given the federal-tribal relationship and the muddled history of Native schooling options. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Diversity | Louisiana | Burke | 2016 | Positive | ESAs are likely to breed a diverse supply of schools | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Accessibility | France | Bongrand | 2016 | Negative | Information on schooling alternatives is rarely dispersed to families | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Bell, Kaplan, Thurman | 2016 | Positive | Homeschooling parents promote frequent use of self-determination, leads to higher achievement | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Legal Environment | Brazil | Barbosa | 2016 | Mixed | JSC: Brazilian homeschooling sits in a legal-political gray zone, generating truancy lawsuits and challenging how the right to education is defined. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | College Attainment | Massachusetts | Angrist, Cohodes, Dynarski, Pathak, Walters | 2016 | Positive | Journal of Labor Economics lottery evidence: Boston charter high schools raise exit-exam/AP/SAT scores and shift enrollment from 2-year to 4-year colleges; overall college enrollment effects are modest. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Accessibility | Florida | Wao, et al | 2017 | Positive | Positive impact of PRCs on parental involvement regarding school choice | Visit Link |
| Operations | Catholic Schools | Participation | USA | Wadsworth & Walker | 2017 | Positive | Catholic schools students display strong religious participation post-graduation | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Segregation | USA | Swanson | 2017 | Positive | Choice programs tend to decrease racial segregation | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | Los Angeles | Shin, Fuller, Dauter | 2017 | Positive | Significant achievement gains for Charter students | Visit Link |
| Operations | Private Schools | Management | USA | Shakeel & DeAngelis | 2017 | Positive | Private schools’ positive independence in school policy | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Scott | 2017 | Positive | PD assists teachers in balancing conflicting philosophies and accountability measures | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Location | Ohio | Saultz & Yaluma | 2017 | Positive | Geographical Charter distribution aligns with race at expense of income and need | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Schools | Regulation | USA | Saultz & Fusarelli | 2017 | Positive | The lack of oversight and data in virtual schools complicate policy | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Satisfaction | USA | Rhinesmith | 2017 | Positive | School choice parents are more satisfied with schools vs. non-choice parents | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Ray | 2017 | Positive | Improved life outcomes for homeschooled students | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Achievement | USA | Nichols | 2017 | Mixed | Non-cognitive skills negatively impacted, but behavior positively impacted | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Participation | Israel | Neuman & Guterman | 2017 | Positive | Reasons for homeschooling transcend traditional motives | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | Sweden | Mohme | 2017 | Positive | Parents prioritize educational quality when choosing religious schools | Visit Link |
| Academics | Private Schools | Satisfaction | Australia | Marks | 2017 | Positive | Nongovernment school students have a more positive view of their learning environment | Visit Link |
| Operations | Systems | Regulation | Georgia (USA) | Kramer, Lane, Tanner | 2017 | Positive | Expenditure flexibility due to localized control leads to inefficient fiscal allocation | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Achievement and Behavior | K.C., Missouri | Johnson, et al | 2017 | Positive | Kauffman Charter School’s positive qualitative and quantitative influence | Visit Link |
| Policy | EMO Schools | Location | USA / 41 States | Gulosino & Miron | 2017 | Positive | EMOs gravitate to both high minority and resource-heavy urban areas | Visit Link |
| Operations | Private Schools | Civic Issues | USA | Greene & Kingsbury | 2017 | Positive | Private school students show more positive attitudes towards Jews | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Gleason | 2017 | Positive | Data-driven charter schools with strong cultures tend to outperform others | Visit Link |
| Academics | Systems | Attainment | USA | Foreman | 2017 | Positive | School choice improves educational attainment | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Regulation | Milwaukee | Flanders | 2017 | Positive | Charters with more autonomy are more efficient than public and regulated charters | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | USA | Erickson | 2017 | Positive | Parents select schools based on a multitude of factors | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Literature Review | USA / International | Epple, Romano, Urquiola | 2017 | Mixed | Journal of Economic Literature: synthesizes voucher theory and evidence; participant effects mixed and context-dependent, with clearer positive results in some developing-country RCTs. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | Sierra Leone | Dixon & Humble | 2017 | Mixed | Environmental and educational factors confound typical choice patterns | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Civic Issues | USA | DeAngelis | 2017 | Positive | Private school choice improves non-academic outcomes | Visit Link |
| Academics | Tax Credit Scholarships | College Enrollment | Florida | Chingos, Kuehn | 2017 | Positive | Urban Institute: Florida Tax Credit Scholarship participation raised public-college enrollment about 6 percentage points (about 15%), mostly at community colleges. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Cheng, et al | 2017 | Positive | “No Excuses” charter schools significantly increase academic achievement | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Demand & Rationality | Chile | Bonal, Verger, Zancajo | 2017 | Positive | Poor parents execute intricate processes when presented with school choice | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Schools | Regulation | USA | Beck & LaFrance (Response to Saultz & Fusarelli) | 2017 | Positive | Recent advancements provide a framework for future online learning policy | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accessibility | USA | Anderson | 2017 | Positive | Charter schools tend not to “cream-skim” for the “best” students | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Charters | Test Scores | Ohio | Ahn, McEachin | 2017 | Negative | Educational Researcher: Ohio full-time e-school students score substantially lower than TPS and brick-and-mortar charter peers after demographic/prior-score controls. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Accessibility | Belgium, USA | van Raemdonck & Maranto | 2018 | Positive | Why Belgium has education freedom and USA does not | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | Watson | 2018 | Positive | Homeschooling is on the rise nationally | Visit Link |
| Academics | Magnet Schools | Achievement | USA | Wang, et al | 2018 | Positive | Magnet schools tend to improve student achievement | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Demand | Massachusetts | Walters | 2018 | Mixed | Journal of Political Economy: Boston charter demand is stronger among more advantaged students even though gains are larger for disadvantaged non-applicants. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Achievement | Indiana | Waddington, Berends | 2018 | Negative | JPAM: Indiana Choice Scholarship public-to-private switchers lost ~0.15 SD in math in year 1 with losses persisting; ELA effects were statistically null. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Regulation | Georgia (Europe) | Tabatadze & Gorgadze | 2018 | Positive | Vouchers have failed due to lack of funding and oversight | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Regulation | DC, LA, IN | Sude, DeAngelis, Wolf | 2018 | Positive | More successful private schools are less likely to accept vouchers | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Participation | USA | Sikkink & Schwarz | 2018 | Positive | Parents tend to send their kids to the same type of school they attended | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | Malaysia | Siah, et al | 2018 | Positive | Malaysian Chinese parents’ priorities can be predicted by choice of schools | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | Missouri | Shuls | 2018 | Negative | School choice parents often oppose broad school choice programs | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Achievement | USA | Shakeel & DeAngelis | 2018 | Positive | Private schools’ climates seem to facilitate increased achievement | Visit Link |
| Operations | Systems | Staffing | Michigan | Reid | 2018 | Null | District and Charter principals only trained on evaluation software, not evaluation | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Regulation | California | Reed, Rose | 2018 | Positive | Accountability frameworks are often inadequate and inaccurate | Visit Link |
| Policy | Religious Schools | Legal Environment | Kazakhstan | Podoprigora | 2018 | Negative | JSC legal review: post-Soviet Kazakhstan remains wary of religious alternatives in schooling, leaving believing families with little formal choice even though some accommodations could be designed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Accountability | Mississippi | PEER Committee | 2018 | Mixed | Despite high parental satisfaction, ESA programs increase state expenditures | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Curriculum | USA | McCluskey | 2018 | Negative | Public schooling is not religiously neutral | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Staffing | Netherlands | Markus, et al | 2018 | Positive | Religious schools tend to attract religious teachers as employees | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Participation | New Zealand | Mandic, et al | 2018 | Positive | Social, programmatic, and facilities motivate school choice students’ choices. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Tax Credit Scholarships | Taxpayer Savings | USA | Lueken | 2018 | Positive | Tax credit scholarships have positive fiscal effects | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Leadership | USA | Leahy, Shore | 2018 | Positive | JSC qualitative study of two long-serving high-poverty charter founders: sustained leadership with vision and community commitment transformed low-performing at-risk schools over 25 years. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | Detroit | Hamlin | 2018 | Positive | 6 characteristics of school choice parents are predictive of likelihood to switch | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Participation | USA | Glenn | 2018 | Positive | Religious conservatives helped broaden support for school choice | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Test Scores | Milwaukee | Ford, Ihrke | 2018 | Positive | JSC: Milwaukee voucher schools with longer exposure to PAVE third-party governance training post higher Wisconsin state-test performance independent of size, history, religious affiliation, or voucher-revenue share. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Competition | Milwaukee | Flanders | 2018 | Positive | Charter school closures indicate the system is working correctly | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Curriculum | USA | D’Agostino | 2018 | Positive | Religious charter schools may be legal in USA | Visit Link |
| Academics | Scholarship Programs | Test Scores | Washington, DC | Dynarski, et al. | 2018 | Negative | IES NCEE: DC OSP lottery offer reduced math achievement after two years (reading mixed/null), with positive parent safety perceptions. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Competition | Arkansas | DeAngelis | 2018 | Positive | Parents rate open-enrollment charter schools higher than conversion charters | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition | New York City | Cordes | 2018 | Positive | Education Finance and Policy: NYC charter entry yields small positive TPS spillovers in ELA/math and lower retention, largest for co-located and nearby district schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Safety | USA | Catt, DeAngelis | 2018 | Positive | EdChoice School Safety in America: choice-sector parents (private, charter, homeschool) report higher perceived safety than assigned public-school parents. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | Indianapolis | Berends, Waddington | 2018 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy: Indianapolis sector comparison finds charters often outperform TPS; magnet and private results more mixed after accounting for selection. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Achievement | Louisiana | Abdulkadiroğlu, Pathak, Walters | 2018 | Negative | LSP participation reduces academic achievement | Visit Link |
| Finance | Vouchers | Participation | Hong Kong | Wong, Kwan | 2019 | Negative | Vouchers tend to be awarded to wealthy families | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Graduation | Alaska | Wilkens, Kalenda | 2019 | Negative | JSC Alaska correspondence (primarily homeschool) 2010-17: enrollment share rose and was disproportionately White, but 4- and 5-year cohort graduation rates were significantly lower than in traditional public schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | D.C. | Webber et al. | 2019 | Null | No significant achievement growth 3 years after applying to program | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | Malaysia | Ting, Lee | 2019 | Mixed | JSC interviews with 43 middle-class Malaysian parents: proximity and ethnicity dominate primary-school choice, with medium of instruction and reputation acting as ethnicity proxies and mothers more often deciding. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Non-cognitive | North Carolina | Spees | 2019 | Positive | Charter schools tend to help improve non-cognitive skills | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Competition | USA | Shakeel, Henderson | 2019 | Negative | Exposure doesn’t increase receptivity to charter schools in rural areas | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Accessibility | Philadelphia | Scott, Marshall | 2019 | Positive | School choice is spatially equitable despite public transit use | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | International | Rohde, et al | 2019 | Positive | Elementary school parent motivations vary | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Participation | Florida | Prieto, et al | 2019 | Null | Multiple factors determine application to a specialty school | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Competition | Arizona | Powers, Topper | 2019 | Positive | Density of charters increases competition within a district | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Access | Delhi, India | Mousumi, Kusakabe | 2019 | Mixed | JSC questionnaires and interviews (13 principals, 35 Muslim households in unauthorized colonies): geography and social background constrain low-fee private options even as families try to exit weak government schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Achievement | Louisiana | Mills, Wolf | 2019 | Negative | Negative effects of LSP on achievement after 4 years (particularly math) | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Special Education | USA | McKittrick, et al | 2019 | Positive | Special Ed in rural charters requires resourcefulness | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | Wisconsin | Marks & Welsh | 2019 | Positive | Parents homeschool due to academic underperformance, other factors | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Segregation | Rural South | Mann, Marshall, Pendola, Bryant | 2019 | Mixed | JSC case of a diverse rural southern charter created to break White-private / Black-public isolation: integration benefits coexist with tensions over power, funding, and copying weaker charter models. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Segregation | USA | Magness, Surprenant | 2019 | Positive | Vouchers tend to reduce segregation | Visit Link |
| Academics | Systems | Achievement | USA | Jabbar, Fong, Germain | 2019 | Positive | Competition improves student achievement | Visit Link |
| Academics | Magnet Schools | Test Scores | USA | Harris | 2019 | Negative | Magnet schools may hurt student achievement | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Taxpayer Savings | Milwaukee | Ford, Andersson | 2019 | Positive | Vouchers have little effect on academics, but reduce taxes | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Safety | USA | Farina | 2019 | Positive | Private school students tend to experience less bullying | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Competition | Milwaukee | DeAngelis, Flanders | 2019 | Positive | Enrollment, not academics, is predictive of school closure | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Satisfaction | USA | DeAngelis | 2019 | Positive | School choice increases parent and student satisfaction | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Civic Issues | International | DeAngelis | 2019 | Null | Private schooling doesn’t increase national stability | Visit Link |
| Operations | Vocational Choice | Competition | Europe (municipality) | Damaso, de Lima | 2019 | Mixed | JSC qualitative study of competing vocational schools: marketing stayed informal and minor because of how local structural/behavioral competition and public regulation shaped the market. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | Denver | Clayton, et al | 2019 | Positive | English language learners in charters tend to score higher in Math, ELA | Visit Link |
| Academics | Tax Credit Scholarships | College Attainment | Florida | Chingos, Monarrez, Kuehn | 2019 | Positive | Urban Institute update: adding private and out-of-state colleges, FTC effects on enrollment and degree completion are larger, especially with more years of participation. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Scholarship Programs | Achievement | NYC | Cheng, Chingos, Peterson | 2019 | Mixed | Significant effects for moderately disadvantaged families, insignificant for severely disadvantaged | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | Hong Kong | Chan, Yeung | 2019 | Mixed | JSC survey of 3,429 Hong Kong kindergarten parents: both child happiness and academics matter; higher-income parents weight academics more and cost less, and child-centered criteria fall with income and parent education. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Regulation | Indiana | Catt, Shaw | 2019 | Negative | Review of Indiana’s “school choice deserts” | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Satisfaction | Arizona | Catt, Cheng | 2019 | Mixed (Mainly Positive) | Charter schools have the most favorable views of their schools | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Competition | USA | Barrows, et al | 2019 | Null | Charter schools may erode private school enrollment | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Pathways | Indiana | Austin, Waddington, Berends | 2019 | Negative | RSF: public-to-private voucher pathways in Indiana are associated with math losses; always-private voucher users show no significant achievement change. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Assignment | Hong Kong | Wu | 2020 | Mixed | JSC Hong Kong multi-route admissions: district income, education, and immigrant share hurt Boston-mechanism choice assignments more than student-proposing deferred acceptance, while legacy priority can raise choice-school admittance as districts get poorer. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Microschools | Special Education | USA | Walters, Baker | 2020 | Mixed | JSC case plus national scan of 84 University-Model hybrid schools: accommodation policies are inconsistent nationally, though the sampled school does provide supports for students with and without diagnoses. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Vouchers | Taxpayer Savings | Louisiana | Trivitt, DeAngelis | 2020 | Positive | Vouchers save taxpayers money | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Curriculum | USA | Tilhou | 2020 | Positive | Values & beliefs motivate home schooling | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Participation | Detroit | Singer | 2020 | Positive | School choice doesn’t ameliorate stratification completely | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | Shakeel, Peterson | 2020 | Positive | JSC NAEP 2005-17 (over four million observations): charter cohorts show steeper upward math/reading trends than district cohorts after demographic adjustment, with larger gaps for African American and low-SES students and in the Northeast. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Staffing | California | Reed, Rose | 2020 | Positive | Charters staff similarly to TPS | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | Bangladesh | Murshed, Uddin | 2020 | Mixed | JSC 2016 HIES: Bangladeshi parents show intergenerational persistence in religious versus non-religious school streams, stronger for non-religious than religious schooling. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | COVID Operations | USA | Marshall, Bradley-Dorsey | 2020 | Mixed | JSC review of all 50 state and 120 large-district fall 2020 reopening plans documents wide variation in modality, masking, and treatment of vulnerable students as families faced a disrupted choice set. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Charters | Competition | Pennsylvania | Mann | 2020 | Positive | TPS response to virtual charters | Visit Link |
| Finance | Vouchers | Taxpayer Savings | USA | Lueken | 2020 | Positive | JSC synthesis of 27 lottery-based switcher-rate estimates from six U.S. private-choice programs: median/weighted-average switcher rates are about 84-90%, implying fiscal analyses should treat most voucher users as public-school switchers. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Scholarship Programs | Test Scores | Louisiana | Lee, Mills, Wolf | 2020 | Negative | Participation correlated to lower test scores | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | India | Kumar, Choudhury | 2020 | Mixed | JSC: Indian families choose private elementary schools for teacher attendance, local teachers, PTA participation, quality, and English medium; girls are less likely to attend private schools, with the gap shrinking as income and mother’s education rise. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Charters | Test Scores | USA (northern state) | Kingsbury, Maranto, Beck | 2020 | Null | JSC geocoded 2015-18 scores for 5,493 cyber-charter students: commute time to testing sites does not explain cyber underperformance except for a marginal math association. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Civic Issues | USA | Johnson, Qin, Hinton | 2020 | Positive | Charters tend to emphasize civic learning | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Labor Relations | USA | Jochim, Lavery | 2020 | Mixed | JSC comparison of CBAs in unionized charters versus nearby districts: contracts look similar overall but can preserve more administrator flexibility on managing teacher talent. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | Han, Keefe | 2020 | Negative | Charters might hurt TPS student scores | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Safety | USA | Hamlin, Li | 2020 | Positive | JSC five SSOCS waves (12,698 schools): charters report fewer crime/violence incidents and disruptions than TPS; small size, parent volunteering, and less exclusionary discipline mediate the safety gap. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Research Synthesis | USA | Gray | 2020 | Positive | EFI WP #9-2020: reviews evidence against common empirical claims used to restrict homeschooling. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition | North Carolina | Gao, Semykina | 2020 | Mixed | JSC IV plus fixed effects: North Carolina charter penetration lowers average teacher qualifications in nearby TPS and is associated with moderate math gains for middle-school girls. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Parental Involvement | Milwaukee | Fleming | 2020 | Positive | JSC matched MPCP-parent survey: voucher parents report more willingness to use voice over exit and more school-based involvement, while public-school parents report more home-based education activities. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | History | USA | Farenga | 2020 | Mixed | EFI WP #5-2020: historical overview of homeschooling and self-directed education as a parental-authority practice. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Supply | Massachusetts | Fahy | 2020 | Mixed | JSC spatial Durbin probit: Massachusetts districts’ interdistrict-choice participation depends on own capacity and test scores and on neighbors’ socioeconomics, scores, and participation decisions. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Scholarship Programs | Participation | North Carolina | Egalite, et al | 2020 | Negative | Hidden costs may inhibit use | Visit Link |
| Academics | Scholarship Programs | Test Scores | North Carolina | Egalite, Stallings, Porter | 2020 | Null | AERA Open: North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship users perform similarly to matched public-school students on independent assessments. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Legal Rights | USA | Donnelly | 2020 | Positive | EFI WP #7-2020: legal/advocacy argument that homeschooling is a protected exercise of educational freedom. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Regulation | USA / 7 states | DeAngelis | 2020 | Negative | Regulations reduce voucher program participation by private schools | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Safety | Pennsylvania | DeAngelis | 2020 | Positive | JSC 2018-19 Pennsylvania safety reports (58 indicators): after student-demographic controls, charters report fewer safety problems than district schools, with larger gaps for cyber charters and Philadelphia County. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Charter Schools | Cost-Effectiveness | Wisconsin | DeAngelis | 2020 | Positive | JSC 2017-18 Wisconsin: private voucher and independent charter schools are about 29-30% more cost-effective than TPS on Accountability Report Card points per public dollar; district-authorized charters do not differ from TPS. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Regulation | USA | DeAngelis | 2020 | Positive | EFI WP #6-2020: critiques elite attacks on homeschooling and argues the empirical case for heavy new regulation is weak. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Staffing | USA | Crouch, Nguyen | 2020 | Mixed | JSC nationally representative data: rural charter teachers turn over less than urban charter teachers but are younger and more novice than rural TPS teachers. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Youth Freedom | USA | Conner | 2020 | Positive | EFI WP #8-2020: argues for expanding educational freedom for young people beyond assigned district schooling. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Assignment | Chile | Carrasco, Honey, Oyarzun, Mendoza | 2020 | Mixed | JSC simulations of Chile’s 2019 Just Admission Project versus the Inclusion Law’s new assignment system: the populist counter-reform would have reallocated school-choice opportunities relative to the implemented centralized lottery. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Satisfaction | USA | Carpenter, Dunn | 2020 | Mixed (Mainly Positive) | JSC survey of 1,743 parents during COVID remote learning: experiences were generally positive, private and charter parents more so than TPS; few planned to homeschool in fall 2020, but more than a third planned a virtual school for health reasons. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Teacher Mobility | Michigan | Anderson, Nagel | 2020 | Mixed | JSC 2005-16 Michigan microdata after TPS evaluation/tenure/bargaining reforms: charter teachers became less likely to exit or switch sectors while TPS teachers became more likely to do so. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Parent Preferences | New York City | Abdulkadiroğlu, Pathak, Schellenberg, Walters | 2020 | Mixed | AER: NYC parents’ choices put substantial weight on peer composition, not only school effectiveness as measured by lottery value-added. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Special Education | USA | Wong | 2021 | Negative | JSC systematic review of court filings finds recurring IDEA/disability-law violation themes involving charter schools and students with disabilities. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Curriculum | USA | White, Huang | 2021 | Mixed | JSC 2018–19 national census: about two-thirds of charters use a specialized model (68 models); leading single foci were Personalized Learning (389), High Expectations (370), STEM (368), Classical (257), and Art (223). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | Wearne | 2021 | Positive | Hybrid homeschooling: parent motivations and program growth; families value mix of home and campus instruction (Journal of School Choice line of work). | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Non-cognitive | Israel | Unger Madar, BenDavid-Hadar | 2021 | Positive | JSC: among 549 Israeli 8–12 year-olds, homeschooled children scored higher than public-school peers on creative-thinking (TCT-DP) and social-competence (SSRS) measures after regression controls. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Sorting | North Carolina | Sorensen, Holt | 2021 | Mixed | Economics of Education Review: charter expansion changes teacher and student composition at nearby TPS (sorting), with implications for peer and staff mix. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Politics | USA | Singer | 2021 | Mixed | JSC discourse analysis: contemporary U.S. school-choice politics has been only weakly populist, relying on broad elite reform coalitions, with social and geographic splits blocking a populist turn. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Achievement | International | Shakeel, Anderson, Wolf | 2021 | Positive | Meta-analysis of 21 RCTs of private-school vouchers worldwide: moderate positive achievement effects with substantial program/year heterogeneity; suggestive cost-effectiveness even for null test-score impacts. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Special Education | Boston / USA | Setren | 2021 | Mixed | Charter lotteries and special education: Boston-area evidence that charter attendance can raise achievement while changing SPED classification and service patterns. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Ecosystem Rankings | USA | Scafidi, Wearne | 2021 | Mixed | EFI Charter Ecosystem Rankings 2021: outcome-based state ranking of charter access and performance (predecessor to 2022/2024 ECER). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Enrollment | USA | Scafidi, Tutterow, et al | 2021 | Positive | JSC: unlike prior recessions, 70% of sampled independent schools held or gained enrollment in fall 2020; the main driver was nearby public districts opening virtual-only, not local economic conditions. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Magnet Schools | Parental Choice | Southeastern US | Rowley, McNeill | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: after desegregation-order release, White magnet choosers cited only academic quality while Black parents jointly valued high achievement and a predominantly Black peer environment as protection from discrimination. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | Georgia | Ray, Shakeel, et al | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: in a state-representative fragile-community Georgia sample, demographics explain little homeschooling; four perceived barriers (laws, child-welfare fears, socialization, parental knowledge) significantly reduce both current homeschooling and desire to homeschool. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Ray | 2021 | Positive | NHERI research synthesis: homeschool students typically score above public-school averages on standardized tests; selection remains a caveat. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Maranto, Shakeel | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: There are entire neighborhoods where young people, they don’t see an example of somebody succeeding … and for a lot of young boys and young men, in particular, they don’t see an example of fathers. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Survival | Arizona | Maranto, Shakeel | 2021 | Positive | JSC addendum: among Arizona’s first two charter cohorts (n=54, 1995–96), schools with a defined founding mission were significantly more likely to survive and grow. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Maranto | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: Two men say they’re Jesus—one of them must be wrong.from Dire Straits’ Industrial DiseaseIt goes without saying that 2020 will go down as the year of Covid. As detailed in the fall 2020 Covid speci. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | Russia | Lyubitskaya, Polivanova | 2021 | Mixed | JSC survey (n=151) and interviews (n=33): Russian homeschoolers face role confusion, family misunderstanding, and pedagogical-skill gaps, yet the legal environment remains comparatively parent-friendly under state control. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Scholarship Programs | Taxpayer Savings | USA | Lueken | 2021 | Positive | EdChoice: fiscal effects of U.S. private K-12 choice programs are typically a net savings to taxpayers/state budgets under switcher-rate assumptions. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | USA | Leukert | 2021 | Positive | JSC: cultural consonance with a Protestant denomination is strongly associated with choosing (or not choosing) a Seventh-day Adventist school, beyond income, educational context, and social networks. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Long-run Outcomes | Israel | Lavy | 2021 | Positive | Tel Aviv secondary-choice experiment associated with higher educational attainment and improved longer-run labor-market and social outcomes. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA (10 states) | L. Snyder, Tong, et al | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: across 195 public Montessori schools, 3rd-grade math proficiency lagged districts but ELA was higher; by 8th grade ELA remained higher, gaps were generally smaller, and disadvantaged subgroups were similar or better in math. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Equity | USA | Kingsbury, Bradley-Dorsey, Maranto | 2021 | Negative | Charter school closing inequities: automatic closure laws disproportionately affect Black charter entrepreneurs and students they serve. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Schools | Achievement | USA | Kingsbury | 2021 | Mixed | Education and Information Technologies: compares brick-and-mortar vs virtual school outcomes; selection and testing conditions complicate naive comparisons. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Charters | Segregation | USA | Kingsbury | 2021 | Positive | Do Cyber Charters Segregate or Integrate? Evidence From a Large EMO: virtual enrollment patterns challenge simple segregation critiques (EFI WP #1-2021). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Safety | USA | Hamlin, Li | 2021 | Positive | School safety and homeschooling: families cite safety/bullying as major motives; homeschool associated with lower reported victimization in some surveys. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Politics | USA | Greene, Paul | 2021 | Mixed | Classroom Politics (EFI/Heritage): K-12 teachers’ political beliefs and donations differ systematically from the general population. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition | North Carolina | Gilraine, Petronijevic, Singleton | 2021 | Positive | AEJ: Economic Policy: after NC charter-cap lift, TPS math rose ~0.05 SD near non-horizontally differentiated charters, consistent with competitive pressure even before opening. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Special Education | USA | Frisby | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: The essay ends with suggestions for better resources that pre- and inservice teachers can consult for addressing educational problems of racial/ethnic minority students in schools. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Fox, Buchanan, et al | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: The International School Choice and Reform Conference (ISCRC)!! Quite a name. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Enrollment | Wisconsin | Flanders | 2021 | Positive | JSC: Wisconsin districts that opened 2020–21 virtually saw the largest enrollment declines, while families shifted toward private schools and districts that already offered virtual schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Parental Choice | Minnesota | Farah, Bowen | 2021 | Positive | JSC interviews with Somali parents in Minnesota Somali-operated charters: parents chose the schools to protect Islamic culture, provide an extended-home setting, and ease communication for refugee families. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Achievement / Attainment | Louisiana | Erickson, Mills, Wolf | 2021 | Mixed | JREE lottery evaluation of LSP: persistent negative effects on state tests (esp. math) after four years, but no significant difference in college enrollment. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Enrollment | USA | Eggleston, Fields | 2021 | Mixed | U.S. Census Household Pulse: homeschooling roughly doubled from about 5.4% (spring 2020) to about 11% (fall 2020) of households with school-age children. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Competition | Louisiana | Egalite, Mills | 2021 | Positive | Competitive Impacts of Means-Tested Vouchers on Public School Performance (Education Finance and Policy): Louisiana Scholarship Program competition associated with modest public-school achievement gains. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Participation | Michigan | Edwards | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: 15% of rural Michigan public students use interdistrict choice; rural–nonrural participation gaps start in kindergarten, and students living farther from assigned schools (and those facing closures) have lower opportunity costs of transferring. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | Duvall | 2021 | Positive | JSC research note on Census Bureau pulse surveys: the number of U.S. adults with children taught entirely at home doubled between spring and fall 2020. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Charter Schools | Funding | USA (cities) | DeAngelis, Wolf, Maloney, May | 2021 | Negative | Charter School Funding: Inequity Surges in the Cities — charters receive substantially less per-pupil funding than TPS in urban districts. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Unions | Operations | USA | DeAngelis, Makridis | 2021 | Negative | Are School Reopening Decisions Related to Union Influence? During COVID, stronger teachers-union presence associated with lower probability of in-person reopening. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Regulation | USA | DeAngelis, Burke, Wolf | 2021 | Negative | When Being Regulated is a Choice (JSC): voucher program regulations reduce private-school participation, shrinking supply. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | Boston | Cohodes, Setren, Walters | 2021 | Positive | AEJ: Economic Policy — Boston’s charter expansion: successful no-excuses models can be replicated at new campuses with continued lottery-based gains. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Cohodes, Parham | 2021 | Mixed | NBER w28477 review: urban charters (esp. for Black, Latino, low-income students) raise test scores; competitive effects on TPS small and typically beneficial; financial and segregation evidence mixed. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Competition | Texas | Childs, Taylor | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: Texas open-enrollment charter districts were less web-popular by organic search and traffic than TPS districts in 2018–19 but spent significantly more to drive internet traffic. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Attainment | USA (NYC/DC experiments) | Cheng, Peterson | 2021 | Positive | Experimentally estimated voucher impacts on college-degree attainment: long-run gains concentrated among subgroups (esp. African American students) in privately funded scholarship experiments. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | COVID Learning Loss | USA | CREDO | 2021 | Negative | CREDO COVID learning-loss simulations (19 states): large estimated reading/math losses from 2020 closures, with wide cross-state and within-state variation. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | Canada | Brabant | 2021 | Mixed | JSC: In Quebec (Canada), a new normative framework and the COVID-19 pandemic have precipitated the hiring, by the ministry of education, of at least a hundred new resource persons to monitor home education. According to international writings, these professionals are at the crossroads of normative, political, and educational conflicts. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Attainment | Indiana | Austin, Pardo | 2021 | Positive | REL Midwest: after covariate adjustment, Indiana Choice Scholarship recipients performed similarly or better than TPS peers on most college/career-readiness indicators. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Management | Qatar | Alrasheedi, Almutawa | 2021 | Negative | JSC interviews with 28 Qatar independent-school leaders: politically driven rapid implementation of the 2003 choice/independence reform outpaced school capacity and implementers later retreated from school independence. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Housing Capitalization | USA | Zheng | 2022 | Mixed | AEJ: Economic Policy event-study plus boundary-discontinuity analysis of charter entries finds school choice reduces capitalization of traditional-school quality into house prices by about four percentage points on average, with suggestive neighborhood resorting as attendance boundaries matter less. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Suburban Transfers | Detroit | Singer, Lenhoff | 2022 | Mixed | AERA Open critical spatial analysis: Detroit students’ suburban school-of-choice exits concentrate in a handful of districts, differ by race, and land in schools that are more segregated and lower quality than those of suburban peers. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Segregation | Missouri | Shuls | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: Critics of school choice claim support for educational options was an outgrowth of racist, segregationist views following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling in Brown v. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Private Schools | Civic Issues | USA | Shakeel, DeAngelis | 2022 | Positive | Updated civic-outcomes synthesis: private and choice-sector students often show equal or better civic knowledge, tolerance, and volunteering vs public-school peers. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accessibility | USA | Scafidi, Wearne | 2022 | Mixed | EFI Charter School Ecosystem Rankings 2022: ranks states on access plus cohort and value-added learning gains rather than statutory inputs. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | Kansas | Scafidi | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: School Finance and Education Equity: Lessons from Kansas by Bruce Baker (Baker, 2021) is part personal and intellectual memoir. It is also part authoritative discourse on the history of school fund. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Segregation | Washington, DC | Robinson | 2022 | Mixed | JSC lottery interviews (n=25) in gentrified DC: White professional parents’ stated values often diverge from choices, while working-class Black parents pursue equality of conditions, producing tensions as schools gentrify. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | Kentucky | Robershaw, Bradley, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: The resultant instrument has the response categories collapsed from 4 to 3 Likert-type points. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Safety | USA | Ray, Shakeel | 2022 | Null | JSC nationally representative survey of 1,253 adults: after demographics (family structure, foster care, family size, poverty), school sector is a non-issue for maltreatment; homeschool abuse reports are significant only in community/school settings, not family. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Educational Pluralism | Europe (9 countries) | Põder, Lauri | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: more resourceful Europeans are less pro-private schooling and right-leaning respondents more so; system-level private spending feeds back positively, but educational inequality de-legitimizes private-school support especially among the higher-educated and right-leaning. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Achievement | Florida | Prieto, Aguero-Valverde, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: The results suggest that how the school priority is designed slightly affects the equality of opportunity. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | NCES | 2022 | Positive | Homeschooling on the Rise: NCES/NHES and pandemic-era estimates show a large increase in homeschooled students after 2020. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Enrollment | USA / Michigan | Musaddiq, Stange, Bacher-Hicks, Goodman | 2022 | Mixed | Journal of Public Economics / NBER w29262: COVID shifted demand out of public schools toward homeschooling (majority of Michigan exits) and private schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition and Achievement | Massachusetts / North Carolina | Mumma | 2022 | Mixed | AEJ: Economic Policy compares traditional public schools near occupied vs never-occupied proposed charter sites and finds openings cut nearby TPS enrollment about 5% (and White enrollment in NC) but have no detectable effects on achievement, attendance, or suspensions, with 95% CIs ruling out effects larger than ±0.05 SD. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Segregation | USA | Monarrez, Kisida, Chingos | 2022 | Mixed | AEJ: Economic Policy: charter expansion modestly increases within-district racial segregation but has no net effect on metro-wide segregation because between-district isolation falls. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Staffing | USA (CMO) | McCluskey | 2022 | Negative | JSC multi-site qualitative study of a no-excuses CMO: high teacher turnover strains remaining staff via workload and eroded trust, producing turnover contagion. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Location | USA | Marshall, Neugebauer, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC 2018–19 rural charter census: rural charters enroll more nonwhite and fewer FRPL students than rural TPS; almost half sit in five states; most are independent of CMOs/EMOs; uncapped states have more rural charters; Hawaii has the largest rural charter market share. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Politics | Tennessee | Luikart, Hall, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC probit of Tennessee House ESA roll-call: legislator party and TEA campaign funding, not constituent demographics, most strongly predict ESA votes. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Participation | Florida | Lofton, Lueken | 2022 | Positive | JSC: Florida Gardiner ESA families use a larger share of funds the longer they stay; tuition’s share falls over time while curriculum, tutoring, and specialized services rise, and rural families customize more despite using a smaller share. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Regulation | USA | Lee, Price, et al | 2022 | Negative | JSC experiment with 354 ACSI Christian-school leaders: over four-fifths would participate with no operational changes, but open-enrollment mandates cut participation inclination by 62 points and employment rules by 79 points. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Innovation | USA | Kingsbury, Greene, DeAngelis | 2022 | Negative | The Relationship Between Regulation and Charter School Innovation: heavier authorizing/regulation associated with less pedagogical innovation (EFI WP #3-2022). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Charters | Demographics | USA | Kingsbury, Beck, Bradley-Dorsey | 2022 | Mixed | Frontiers in Education: COVID-era cyber enrollment as evidence of negative selection (bullying, mental/physical health) into virtual schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Politics | USA | Kingsbury | 2022 | Mixed | JSC anonymous surveys of large-philanthropy affiliates and education-policy scholars: education reformers overwhelmingly identify as Democrats/progressives, contrary to claims that reform is a conservative movement. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Schools | Participation | USA | Kingsbury | 2022 | Positive | Course Choice Among Online K-12 Students: documents why students/parents add online courses (EFI WP #4-2022). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | New York City | Kim | 2022 | Mixed | JSC qualitative study (n=42) of NYC Spanish dual-language strands: middle- and higher-income families often land in DL after first-choice failures, using the program as a viable default in a complex choice market. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Cream Skimming and Pushout | Tennessee / North Carolina | Kho, Zimmer, McEachin | 2022 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy student-level linear probability models: magnet schools show the most cream-skimming (consistent with selective admissions); charter transfer patterns are not consistent with cream-skimming but do show some evidence consistent with pushout of lower-achieving or disciplined students. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accountability | USA | Justice, Helms, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC survey of 137 charter administrators and 129 board members: internal controls are perceived as relatively strong overall, but board independence and board–staff communication lines are weakest; board members rate controls more positively than administrators. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Attainment | USA | Hamlin, Cheng | 2022 | Null | JSC: among formerly homeschooled adults, college attendance, income, marriage, and wellbeing did not differ statistically between short-term (1–2 year) and long-term (10–12 year) homeschoolers; interviews described social needs as met. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Culture | USA | Greene, et al. | 2022 | Mixed | School Choice & the Culture Wars (EFI/Heritage): choice interacts with contested cultural content in schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Charters | Satisfaction | USA | Greene, Paul | 2022 | Positive | Using Parental Satisfaction to Evaluate Virtual Charter Schools: parent revealed preference and satisfaction are policy-relevant outcomes beyond test scores (EFI WP #5-2022). | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Schools | Achievement | USA | Greene, Paul | 2022 | Mixed | Negative Selection into Online Schooling and Achievement Growth: negatively selected virtual students show lower ELA growth; omitted-variable bias threatens observational VAMs (EFI WP #2-2022). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Schools | Enrollment | USA | Gratz, Goldhaber, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: pre-COVID full-time online public enrollment is negatively associated with brick-and-mortar test scores and with slow internet; students are less likely to go virtual as their own demographic share in local TPS rises. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Garganourakis, Dimopoulos, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: found that school reputation depends on the social characteristics of the broader area, student academic performance, teachers’ characteristics, and school infrastructure. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Competition | Florida | Figlio, Hart, Karbownik | 2022 | Positive | The Ripple Effect (Education Next): Florida private-school choice competition associated with higher public-school test scores as programs mature (popular summary of AEJ: Policy research). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Transfer Flows | Indiana | Faulk, Hicks | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: 2018–19 Indiana interdistrict transfers respond most to test scores and distance; more charter schools in a district raise public-to-public transfers, while private-school counts have no impact. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Safety | USA | Duvall, Mason | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: (Dills, 2022), it was not surprising to find that homeschoolers were as safe from caregiver abuse as students who were under th. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Safety | USA | Dills | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: In the 1980s and 1990s, many states adopted homeschool legislation to clarify the conditions under which families could educate their children at home. In Homeschooling and child safety: Are kids s. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Safety | USA | Dills | 2022 | Mixed | JSC two-way FE/event-study of 1980s–90s homeschool legalization: most child-safety estimates are insignificant, though some specs show a statistically significant rise in child homicide rates after homeschool statutes. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Microschools | Enrollment | USA | DiPerna, McShane | 2022 | Mixed | EdChoice: early national estimates place microschool enrollment roughly in the 2-4% range of students, with large measurement error in a still-defining sector. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Schools | Achievement | USA | DeAngelis, Makridis | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: Our results are consistent with models of rent seeking behavior by teachers unions with unintended consequences on children. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Educational Pluralism | International | D’Agostino, Grau I Callizo | 2022 | Mixed | JSC conceptual mapping of educational pluralism in human-rights law plus a preliminary PISA-based cross-national picture, noting data limits on measuring pluralism. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Satisfaction | USA | Catt, Rhinesmith, et al. | 2022 | Positive | EdChoice parent-survey research: choice families (charter, private, homeschool, ESA) report higher satisfaction than assigned-district families. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Enrollment | USA | Carpenter | 2022 | Mixed | JSC: A sage wag once suggested if you have something important to say, start at the end. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Magnet Schools | Accessibility | Massachusetts | Ansel, Dougherty, et al | 2022 | Mixed | JSC mixed-methods study of oversubscribed Massachusetts CTE high schools of choice documents who plans to attend, why, and equity barriers in the choice process. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Policy Analysis | United Kingdom | West | 2023 | Mixed | JSC historical comparison: UK choice/diversity regimes differ by nation; oversubscription rules at selective and religious schools let schools select in/out, and England’s post-1980s market reforms do not clearly explain later academic gains versus assessment-policy change. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Staffing | USA urban | Weiss, Woo, et al | 2023 | Mixed | JSC six SASS/NTPS waves over two decades: urban charter teachers still differ from TPS in demographics and working conditions but have grown more similar in satisfaction/commitment and turnover as the sector expanded. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Microschools | Accessibility | USA | Wearne, Thompson | 2023 | Mixed | JSC student-address data: suburban hybrid-school students commute longer one-way than conventional private-school peers but fewer total miles per week because they attend fewer days on campus. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Transportation Access | USA | Valant, Lincove | 2023 | Negative | Educational Researcher: in a choice setting, school-bus service shortens commutes and helps carless families, but car access still fundamentally shapes feasible options and is strongly associated with school requests and placements after neighborhood controls. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Attainment | Poland | Szymczak, Gajderowicz | 2023 | Positive | JSC: There was significant heterogeneity in the subjective willingness to pay between the NUTS2 regions in Poland, suggesting that some regions’ poor academic attractiveness might incentivize prospective students to move out. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Stewart, McCracken | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: Indeed, we caution against conflating the relative incidence of abuse within homeschooling communities with its absolute importance to a society that prioritizes child safety. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | USA | Shakeel, Ray | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: caution policymakers to use representative evidence in framing child protection laws after accounting for the role played by demographics and not just school sector. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Politics | USA | Shakeel, Peterson | 2023 | Mixed | JSC national probability sample: a populist–Burkean scale is as coherent as left–right ideology and is more strongly associated with many (not all) school-policy positions than conservatism. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Operations | USA (3 cities) | Sattin-Bajaj, Hashim | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: district and charter leaders in three cities view centralized student transportation as beneficial in principle but disagree sharply on feasibility because of local history, geography, and governance. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Transportation Implementation | Detroit / New Orleans / New York City | Sattin-Bajaj | 2023 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy interviews in Detroit, New Orleans, and NYC: choice-rich districts share implementation problems (fragmented busing, cost, late placements) and local workarounds, so transportation policy is a binding constraint on equitable choice even when seats exist. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Charter Schools | Fiscal / Achievement | USA | Ridley, Terrier | 2023 | Mixed | Journal of Human Resources: charter expansion creates fiscal spillovers for districts but also education spillovers; net effects depend on funding rules and scale. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | Hungary | Pusztai, Róbert, et al | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: Hungarian parents choose denominational primaries mainly for a more homogeneous and safer peer environment; religiosity, not school sector, drives home- and school-based parental involvement. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Regulation | USA | Price, Lee | 2023 | Negative | JSC: merging a national private-choice regulation experiment with state politics data, leaders in weaker-union states are more reluctant to accept testing mandates and copay prohibitions. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | Peterson, Shakeel | 2023 | Mixed | JSC demographically adjusted NAEP ranking 2009–19: state charter standings correlate 0.33 with all-public standings and highly with Black/Hispanic/low-income subgroups; nonprofit network charters outperform for-profit and stand-alone schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Patrinos | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: COVID-19 led to school closures and emergency remote learning. This paper analyzes school closures during the pandemic using a unique data base. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Microschools | Enrollment | USA | National Microschooling Center | 2023 | Mixed | Sector analysis of 100 operating and 100 prospective microschools across 34 states: diverse models, founder backgrounds, schedules, and funding mixes including ESA/choice dollars. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Schools | Achievement | USA | Molnar, et al. (NEPC) | 2023 | Negative | Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2023: full-time virtual schools (esp. for-profit EMOs) continue to post weaker proficiency/growth on average than brick-and-mortar publics; recommends tighter oversight. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Staffing | USA | Marshall, Neugebauer, et al | 2023 | Positive | JSC May 2022 national teacher survey (n=798): private-school teachers report higher job satisfaction and morale than TPS teachers, and charter teachers report higher morale; autonomy and administrative support predict satisfaction, burnout, and morale. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Special Education | USA | Marshall | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: School closures appear to have been an ineffective mitigation strategy, yet children and adolescents experienced increased anxiety, depression, and loneliness, as well as an overall reduction of wellbeing. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Peer Continuity | New York City | Mark, Corcoran, Jennings | 2023 | Negative | Educational Researcher: NYC choice transitions leave Black and Hispanic students and those from high-poverty neighborhoods with far fewer middle-school/neighborhood peers in high school (27% and 20% of Black and Hispanic students transition with no middle-school classmate vs 7-8% of White and Asian students). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Integration | New York City | Margolis, Dench, Hashim | 2023 | Mixed | EEPA DiD of two NYC middle-school choice/desegregation policies: District 15’s ambitious low-income priorities plus eliminating academic screens cut sixth-grade economic segregation 55% and racial segregation 38%, while District 3’s less ambitious priorities produced no significant segregation change. | Visit Link |
| Finance | ESAs | Taxpayer Savings | Arizona | Lueken, Bedrick | 2023 | Positive | Fiscal analyses of Arizona’s expanded ESA/Empowerment Scholarship Account program: net state fiscal impact depends on switcher rates but typically not a simple 1:1 new cost. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Participation | West Virginia | Lueken / EdChoice | 2023 | Positive | Hope Scholarship (WV ESA) early implementation: rapid take-up among homeschool and private users; fiscal notes hinge on prior-public switcher share. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Unionization | USA | Lavery, Jochim | 2023 | Mixed | Educational Policy interviews in 18 unionized charters: drives follow mismanagement plus demands for pay, job security, and voice; contracts add pay transparency but can raise salaries faster than revenues and constrain teacher development. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | Ohio | Lavertu | 2023 | Positive | Fordham: Ohio charters 2016–19 — after 2015 reforms, charter students show improved achievement, attendance, and related outcomes vs similar TPS students. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Politics | Estonia | Lauri, Põder | 2023 | Mixed | JSC latent-class analysis: Estonian demand for private provision and parental choice coexists with support for comprehensive schooling; Russians lean more toward inclusive choice, Estonians toward public comprehensive schools, with values (meritocracy, fairness) explaining class membership more than SES or party. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Achievement | USA | Kristof | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: Less understood is the effect polarization has within advocate groups. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Kingsbury | 2023 | Mixed | Weathering the Storm: COVID-era proficiency patterns in charters; EMO affiliation associated with less learning loss than demographics predict. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Schools | College Attainment | USA | Kingsbury | 2023 | Mixed | JSC comparative survey of young adults from a large virtual-charter EMO vs a national 18–29 sample: virtual graduates report significant career-readiness advantages and mixed college-readiness responses. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Regulation | Ohio | Kingsbury | 2023 | Mixed | A Bright Future for Charter Schools: System-centric or Parent-centric? Critiques Ohio-style test-weighted authorizing and automatic closure as poorly targeted. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Satisfaction | USA | Jabbari, Terada, et al | 2023 | Positive | JSC two-wave household surveys (47 states + DC): charter and private governance match parents’ COVID safety concerns to instructional mode and are consistently tied to better perceived school quality than TPS. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Test Scores | USA | Huang, White | 2023 | Mixed | JSC descriptive NAEP-weighted comparison of charter models: Classical schools lead relative ELA and math performance, followed by Montessori (and Art in ELA / STEM in math); authors caution against causal claims. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information and Segregation | USA | Houston, Henig | 2023 | Mixed | AERA Open national parent survey experiment: providing achievement-status data steers choosers toward higher-status schools with fewer Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students, while growth (or growth plus status) steers them toward higher-growth schools whose demographics are less tightly bundled with status. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Closure and Restructuring | USA | Harris, Martinez-Pabon | 2023 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy near-census of U.S. K-12 schools: 2014-18 annual closure rates were 5.1% charter, 2.9% private, and 0.9% TPS; low enrollment is the strongest closure predictor (especially private), while achievement predicts closure/restructuring nearly as strongly as enrollment in charter and TPS sectors. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement and Attainment | New Orleans | Harris, Larsen | 2023 | Positive | Journal of Human Resources: post-Katrina all-charter reforms are the main mechanism for large gains in tests, high-school graduation, college entry, and college graduation. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Charters | College Enrollment | USA (29 states) | H. Erickson, Scriber | 2023 | Positive | JSC student-level data from an online charter provider (2017–20, 29 states): multi-year virtual enrollment, Black students, and special-education students are more likely to enroll in college. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Competition | Rural USA | Gulosino, Olson Beal, et al | 2023 | Positive | JSC rural teacher surveys: higher perceived competition is associated with somewhat higher morale and stronger organizational culture, with the link amplified in low-income schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Assignment and Access | Madrid (Spain) | Gortázar, Mayor, Montalbán | 2023 | Mixed | Economics of Education Review: abolishing residence-based priorities in Madrid’s centralized choice system increased out-of-district and longer-distance assignments; immigrant parents lagged natives in application changes for two years then caught up, and children—especially from lower-educated backgrounds—accessed slightly better-performing schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Aggregate Quality | North Carolina | Gilraine, Petronijevic, Singleton | 2023 | Mixed | NBER w31328 structural model: lifting North Carolina’s statewide charter cap raised average public-school value-added about 0.01 SD via competition (human-capital returns above $100,000 per charter enrollee in the paper’s calculation), while test-score impacts on students induced into charters by the policy are negative. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Enrollment | Portugal | Firmino, Guilherme, et al | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: ending Portugal’s Contratos de Associação funding shifted students to public schools (especially low-income, nearly one-to-one) and some full-fee private classes; AC supply was not fully replaced and some schools later closed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Competition | Florida | Figlio, Hart, Karbownik | 2023 | Positive | AEJ: Economic Policy — as Florida private-choice scaled, public-school students saw higher test scores and lower absenteeism/suspensions, especially lower-income students. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Vouchers | Attendance Fraud | Chile | Fajnzylber, Lara | 2023 | Negative | Economics of Education Review audit study of Chile’s attendance-based voucher subsidy: a large share of schools including publics over-report attendance (about 2.5% on average; ~12% among identified manipulators), with higher prevalence in for-profit and low-SIMCE schools and expenditure patterns consistent with rent extraction. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Tax Credit Scholarships | Participation | Florida | EdChoice / Step Up for Students | 2023 | Positive | Florida Family Empowerment / FTC scholarship expansion: largest U.S. private-choice ecosystem; Figlio et al. competitive-effects research is the core empirical base. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Participation | Iowa | EdChoice | 2023 | Positive | Students First ESAs: Iowa’s 2023 universal-style ESA among the first Midwestern statewide private-choice expansions; early participation concentrated in existing private/homeschool families. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Participation | Ohio | EdChoice | 2023 | Positive | Ohio EdChoice expansion toward universal eligibility; Urban Institute 2025 attainment study is the key long-run evaluation of the earlier targeted program. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | Ireland | Clavel, Flannery | 2023 | Mixed | JSC PISA 2018: Irish parents who weight ethos and academics over subject choice/climate more often select single-sex schools, especially among higher-SES families. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Scholarship Programs | College Enrollment | Washington, DC | Chingos, Kisida | 2023 | Null | EEPA experiment: 2004-05 DC Opportunity Scholarship lotteries produced no statistically significant difference in later college enrollment. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Enrollment | Lombardy, Italy | Cannistrà, Agasisti, et al | 2023 | Null | JSC: Lombardy’s 2016 de-financing of private-school vouchers did not reduce private enrollments, likely because motives for private choice are deep-rooted and the voucher never covered full tuition. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Location | Maine | Camp, Johnson, et al | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: These findings suggest a mismatch between Black families’ preferences and the options offered by their schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA (31 states) | CREDO (Stanford) | 2023 | Positive | National Charter School Study III: charter students gained ~16 extra days in reading and ~6 in math vs TPS twins (2014–19); CMOs larger positive; virtual charters lag brick-and-mortar. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Systems | COVID Recovery | USA (16 states) | CREDO (Stanford) | 2023 | Negative | CREDO meta-analysis of academic recovery after COVID-19: recovery time varies widely; conventional one-pace instruction is unlikely to close pandemic losses. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Regulation | USA (7 states) | Bradley Dorsey, Kingsbury | 2023 | Mixed | JSC surveys of charter leaders in high- vs low-regulation states: low-regulation leaders put more weight on enrolled families, say authorizers care less about test scores, and report less goal clarity. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Staffing | California | Boochever, Rose | 2023 | Mixed | JSC classroom-level California K–5 data: Hispanic and Black students have higher same-race teacher match rates in charters, Asian and Native students in TPS; same-race principals strongly predict match. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Accountability | England | Bokhove, Jerrim, et al | 2023 | Null | JSC: Ofsted grades available at secondary-choice time generally do not predict later academic, behavioral, leadership, or parent-satisfaction outcomes except a recent Outstanding rating (within five years). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Crime Spillovers | USA | Bibler, Billings, Ross | 2023 | Mixed | NBER w30936: while lottery winners have lower adult criminality in prior work, this paper finds that when neighborhood applicants leave assigned middle schools, remaining lower-risk boys who did not apply become more likely to be arrested as adults, with magnitudes similar to winners’ gains. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Private Schools | Test Scores | British Columbia | Azimi, Friesen, Woodcock | 2023 | Positive | Education Finance and Policy population data with lagged scores and narrow neighborhood controls: Catholic and non-Christian faith private schools raise reading/numeracy by about 0.18 SD or more versus the average public school, non-Catholic Christian privates have negligible effects, and secular prep-school estimates are similar to Catholic but more selected. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information and Preferences | Romania | Ainsworth, Dehejia, Pop-Eleches, Urquiola | 2023 | Mixed | AER experiment: informing Romanian households about school value-added leads them to choose schools with up to 0.2 SD more SVA, but a discrete-choice model implies fully correcting beliefs would close at most a quarter of the ~1 SD of unused SVA because families also value other school traits. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | International | Agasisti, Queiroz E Melo, et al | 2023 | Mixed | JSC: In the introduction to the special issue on school choice in Europe, we explain the purpose of this special issue and summariize the individual articles, stressing the lessons learned from European experience. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Literature Review | USA / International | Zimmer, Wolf | 2024 | Mixed | Live Handbook / voucher evidence review: participant test scores mixed (earlier RCTs more positive than later statewide programs); non-test and systemwide effects generally neutral-to-positive. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | NAEP Achievement | USA | Wolf, Greene, Ladner, Paul | 2024 | Positive | Journal of School Choice: a 2019 Education Freedom Index (private choice, charters, homeschool, public choice) is positively associated with 8th-grade NAEP levels and gains. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accountability | England / USA | West, Yaghi | 2024 | Mixed | JSC comparison: English academies and U.S. charters face multiple accountability channels; the most consequential sanctions differ (academy transfer vs charter closure). | Visit Link |
| Finance | Vouchers | Fiscal Effects | USA | Weber (NEPC) | 2024 | Negative | NEPC review of Lueken 2024: argues EdChoice fiscal-savings estimates rest on unvalidated switcher and variable-cost assumptions and understate net taxpayer cost. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | Watson | 2024 | Positive | JSC: after a brief one- to two-year post-pandemic dip, most states with data report higher homeschool counts three years after the COVID peak than before. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Regulation | USA | Watson | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: This summary captures the current thinking on homeschool policy as expressed by a diverse group of homeschool policy stakeholders at a recent convening. Key topics discussed include the purpose of education, the regulation and support of homeschooling, and issues with access to needed resources. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | USA | Watson | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Homeschooling is growing and diversifying in the United States (Bjorklund-Young & Watson, 2024; Smith & Watson, 2024b; Watson, 2024a this volume). This special issue of the Journal of School Choice. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Sorting | Indiana | Waddington, Zimmer, Berends | 2024 | Mixed | EEPA: Indiana voucher participation shows limited cream-skimming overall, with some evidence of differential exit among lower-achieving voucher users. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Valiente, Spinrad, et al | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Studies exploring homeschooling typically focus on comparing homeschoolers to conventionally schooled peers on a range of academic outcomes. Largely absent from the literature are within-group studies designed to identify experiences that facilitate (or hinder) homeschoolers’ academic outcomes. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition | South Florida | Uttermark, Mackie, Weissert, Artiles | 2024 | Null | Educational Policy: TPS facing a nearby charter opening show no substantive change in test scores or student diversity even 10 years after the charter is established, contrary to both strong-competition and strong-skimming predictions. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | Ukraine | Usova | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Findings highlight factors like child-centric approaches, fostering independence, and transparent school processes as crucial for parents. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Competition | North Carolina | Tobin | 2024 | Negative | Economics of Education Review: a North Carolina charter expansion is associated with lower achievement in incumbent public middle schools, linked to greater household influence, lower teacher empowerment, and a smaller share of teacher salaries in state-tested subjects rather than higher academic quality. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Microschools | Regulation | USA | Thompson, Lee, et al | 2024 | Negative | JSC experiment with national hybrid-school leaders: 65% would encourage private-choice participation with no regulations, but assigned regulations cut willingness by about 31 points. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | Smith, Watson | 2024 | Mixed | JSC Household Pulse analysis: adults in homeschooling households look largely similar to public- and private-school adults on age, race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality, education, and income. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Shuls | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Milton Friedman is widely considered the intellectual father of the school choice movement. While Friedman deserves much credit, Father Virgil Blum stands out as an influential figure in the nascent school choice movement. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | Missouri | Shelton, Hitt | 2024 | Mixed | JSC pilots three public-data methods in a non-reporting state and estimates about 61,000 Missouri homeschoolers (6% of school-age children). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Safety | USA | Scheel, Allen, et al | 2024 | Mixed | JSC PRISMA scoping review of 44 studies over 25 years: charter safety literature clusters on perceptions, prevention, and incident frequency, with thin qualitative, rural, educator, and measurement coverage. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accessibility | USA | Scafidi, Wearne | 2024 | Mixed | EFI Charter Ecosystem Rankings 2024 (ECER): outcome-based state rankings of charter accessibility and CREDO value-added, not input-based law grades. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Parental Choice | Germany | Saur, Nikolai | 2024 | Positive | JSC parliamentary-debate analysis: Baden-Württemberg and Saxony abolished binding Gymnasium recommendations, strengthening parental secondary-school choice. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information | USA | Saltmarsh | 2024 | Mixed | JSC case study of NGO school-choice navigators: semi-private advisers bridge families’ informal trust with the know-how needed to access higher-quality schools, with both benefits and shortcomings. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Attainment | California | Rose, Huddlestun, et al | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Using data on incoming freshmen from 2018-2020 at the University of California, Davis, we analyze whether California students from private or charter high schools, compared to students from traditional public schools, arrive at college with a higher sense of expected belonging, more positive feelings, or higher expectations about adopting positive coping behaviors. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement and College | Los Angeles | Reber, Rünger, Wong | 2024 | Positive | Education Finance and Policy lottery study of five oversubscribed high-quality Los Angeles charter high schools: enrollment raised 11th-grade test scores and four-year college enrollment and persistence substantially (no effect on high-school GPA), with persistence gains concentrated at University of California campuses. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Competition | India (Jharkhand) | Narang, Bedi | 2024 | Positive | JSC survey of 4,162 rural Jharkhand parents: more parents judged private providers responsive during COVID lockdowns than public schools, and perceptions aligned with children’s literacy/numeracy scores. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Catholic Schools | Enrollment | Northeastern US city | Miller | 2024 | Mixed | JSC interviews: Catholic leaders who returned to in-person instruction in 2020–21 prioritized serving already-enrolled families rather than using reopening as an enrollment-growth strategy. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Special Education | USA | Malhotra | 2024 | Mixed | JSC review: charters face legal, enrollment, and funding tensions in special education but also use collaborations and state-law options that can expand how services are delivered. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Scholarship Programs | Taxpayer Savings | USA | Lueken | 2024 | Positive | EdChoice FREC: 48 voucher/ESA/tax-credit programs through FY2022 estimated to save state/local taxpayers $19.4-$45.6 billion under stated switcher and variable-cost assumptions. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information | USA | Lu | 2024 | Mixed | JSC deep-learning study: online school word-of-mouth tracks test-score levels better than value-added gains, so social-media reputation tends to steer parents toward high-score rather than high-growth schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information | Chile | Larrondo, Cabalin | 2024 | Mixed | JSC latent-class analysis of Chilean parents under the new SAE admission system: attitudes (positive/neutral/hostile) track region, SES, and the quantity/objectivity of information consumed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accessibility | USA | Kingsbury, et al. | 2024 | Negative | Road to Nowhere: NACSA’s ‘better authorizing’ agenda did not produce better charter access (EFI Report). | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Civic Issues | USA | Johnson, Gyimah, et al | 2024 | Null | JSC NAEP Grade 8 Civics 2014/2018: no significant overall civic-score difference between charters and TPS, though charters with greater civics curricular exposure outperformed peers. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | USA | Johnson | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Unlike Averett and Stewart, who focus on gendered and racial dynamics in school choice, this study proposes Diamond’s racialized educational terrain and Cooper’s motherwork as frameworks to understand Black homeschooling. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Peer Diversity | New York City | Idoux, Corradini | 2024 | Positive | NBER w33179 IV: NYC middle-school students exposed to more diverse peers apply to and enroll in more diverse high schools; Black and Hispanic students consequently enroll in higher value-added high schools, and a post-application survey attributes most cross-race choice gaps to information and homophily. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | Maine | Hamlin | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: then concludes by describing strategies that researchers can use to address the limitations of previous studies. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information | USA | Grenier, Magnan | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: explores information gathering work undertaken by immigrant parents before choosing their children’s high school in Montreal. Rooted in an interpretive sociology, it explores the experiences, challenges, and specific needs as they gather information and their agency and proactiveness to mitigate feelings of ignorance and lack of referents by leveraging their skills, advantages, or privileges. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Politics | USA | Greene | 2024 | Mixed | Educators Overwhelmingly Support Democrats, Even in Republican States: campaign-finance evidence on educator political giving (EFI Report). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Special Education | Belgium | Goossens | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: The results suggest that such a choice should not be interpreted as a parental attempt to find an alternative to traditional success-driven education but rather as an alternative way to achieve success. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Tax Credit Scholarships | Segregation | Massachusetts | Glenn | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: AI offer first-hand account of a key stage in the development of parental choice in American public schooling, when Massachusetts state officials, concerned not to repeat the trauma and disruption resulting from mandatory reassignment of students to achieve desegregation in Boston, persuaded and helped more than a dozen other cities to adopt plans based upon guided parental choice. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Achievement | Wisconsin | Ford | 2024 | Mixed | JSC 2013–22 Wisconsin open enrollment: students leave higher-minority districts and enter higher-achievement, higher-spending districts; inflows have no detectable effect on destination district achievement. | Visit Link |
| Finance | ESAs | Tuition | Iowa | Fontana, Jennings | 2024 | Negative | EdWorkingPaper 24-949: Iowa ESA associated with private tuition increases of ~21-25% in universally eligible kindergarten versus ~10-16% in partial-eligibility grades. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Competition | Sweden | Elert, Henrekson | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Sweden’s school quasi-market has not delivered large innovation gains because of a vague national mission, unreliable grades, and weak information; authors argue those institutional flaws, not the profit motive per se, block benefits of competition. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Private Schools | Teacher Mobility | Chile | Elacqua, Hincapié, Martínez | 2024 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy multivariate RD on Chile’s accountability rankings: teachers are more likely to leave low-performing schools; public-school leavers transfer within the system (often multi-school workers) while private-school leavers exit teaching, with private-sector mobility concentrated among low-productivity teachers. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Equity of Access | Washington, DC | Eisenlohr, Kennedy, Bulkley, Marsh | 2024 | Negative | Educational Policy mixed-methods study of DC charters: stakeholders define equity as uniform processes, yet disparities persist in where students live versus learn; the authors argue race-neutral process equity can leave structural inequalities and privileged opting-out unaddressed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Participation | USA | EdChoice / FutureEd / Urban | 2024 | Mixed | Universal ESA/voucher expansion wave (AZ, FL, WV, IA, UT, AR, IN, OH, etc.): rapid enrollment growth; research base on achievement still thin relative to mature targeted programs. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Literature Review | USA | EdChoice | 2024 | Positive | The 123s of School Choice 2024: inventory of empirical studies on private choice — participant achievement mixed-to-positive after year 1; attainment, parent satisfaction, competitive and fiscal effects predominantly positive. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Parental Choice | Satisfaction | USA | EdChoice | 2024 | Positive | Schooling in America 2024 survey: choice-using parents (private, charter, homeschool, ESA) report higher school satisfaction than assigned-district parents. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Microschools | Parental Use | USA | EdChoice | 2024 | Mixed | Morning Consult/EdChoice parent polling: about 10% of school parents report a child in a microschool depending on definition, spanning private, charter, and homeschool labels. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Charter Schools | Facilities | USA | EFI | 2024 | Mixed | Comparing District & Charter School Facilities Funding: documents facilities-finance gaps facing charter operators (EFI Report 2024). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Regulation | USA | Donnelly | 2024 | Positive | JSC: The article suggests that as homeschooling gains social acceptance, more empirical research is conducted, and policymakers appear more inclined to adopt less restrictive policy. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Enrollment | Ontario | Davies, Ameli, et al | 2024 | Positive | JSC 2011–21: unsubsidized Ontario independent schools kept opening despite a well-funded public system; new schools cluster in international/third sectors, secondary grades, near other independents, and with extra services. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Catholic Schools | Achievement | Indiana | Dallavis, Ponisciak | 2024 | Positive | JSC Indiana administrative data: students who moved to in-person Catholic schools during COVID disruptions outperformed matched peers who remained in their previous public schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement and Attainment | Pennsylvania | Cordes | 2024 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy: Pennsylvania brick-and-mortar charter high schools have null-to-positive effects on attendance, achievement, graduation, and postsecondary enrollment (concentrated in urban districts and among Black and economically disadvantaged students), while cyber charter attendance is associated with almost universally worse outcomes. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Connolly-Sporing, Cody, et al | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Despite upwards of 100,000 gifted students possibly being educated at home, research regarding this population is limited. The literature on gifted homeschooling includes topics such as motivations for homeschooling, modalities of instruction, and student achievement and social-emotional wellness. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Cohodes, Setren, Walters / follow-on literature | 2024 | Positive | Thirty Years of Charter Schools: lottery-based research still finds the largest gains in urban, high-poverty, no-excuses settings; average national effects closer to zero outside those contexts. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Accountability Gaming | Australia | Coelli, Foster | 2024 | Negative | Economics of Education Review: publishing My School average test scores led poorly performing schools to test fewer students via formal parental withdrawal of weaker pupils, with stronger withdrawal responses in independent private schools than government schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Curriculum | USA | Cheng, Watson | 2024 | Mixed | JSC NHES 2012–19 (n=1,468): family structure, labor-force participation, and parent education predict how long children are homeschooled and which resources families use. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Participation | USA | Cheng | 2024 | Mixed | JSC national child and adult datasets show high year-by-year churn: many homeschoolers spend substantial time in public or private schools, complicating treatment-effect research. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Teacher Labor Supply | USA | Chen, Harris, Penn | 2024 | Negative | Economics of Education Review generalized DiD: a 10% increase in local charter market share reduces the supply of university-based teacher-education degrees by about 1% per year, concentrated in elementary and special-education programs that charters anecdotally value less. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Achievement | USA | Bonal, González, et al | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: Our findings reveal interesting differences relating to the search process and final decisions, which are dependent on parental preferences and risk perception in the different local education markets. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Demographics | USA | Bjorklund-Young, Watson | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: NHES implies homeschoolers of color rose from 25% (1998–99) to 29% (2022–23), while Household Pulse implies about 40%; both show hundreds of thousands of students of color homeschooling. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Schools | Equity | USA | Beck, et al. | 2024 | Mixed | At-Risk and Online (Journal of School Choice): parent perceptions of at-risk learners in fully online schools — safety, flexibility, and prior school failure dominate choice. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Safety | USA | Batts, Kristof, et al | 2024 | Mixed | JSC mixed methods (2,124 survey respondents; 13 focus-group parents): homeschool parents emphasize psychological and academic safety more than physical safety and frame concerns through prior traditional-school experience; many also parent special-needs learners. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | USA | Batts, Carrillo Carrasquillo, et al | 2024 | Positive | JSC phenomenology with 18 Hispanic/Latina homeschooling mothers: the most meaningful outcome is preserving or reclaiming cultural heritage (family cohesion, language, work ethic). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | USA | Baker | 2024 | Mixed | JSC: This literature review aims to uncover the historical evolution, socio-cultural dynamics, and contemporary challenges and opportunities associated with Black home education in this region. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Enrollment Persistence | Michigan | Bacher-Hicks, Musaddiq, Goodman, Stange | 2024 | Mixed | Economics of Education Review: pandemic public-school exits were sticky; about 21% of 2020 private-school switchers returned by 2021 versus about 50% of homeschool switchers. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Vouchers | Welfare and Take-up | India | Arcidiacono, Muralidharan, Singleton | 2024 | Positive | NBER w32968 two-stage rural India voucher experiment: a voucher targeted to asset-poor households yields a marginal value of public funds greater than 3; control-only choice models underpredict take-up because the offer induced household search and led private schools to use voucher surplus to attract students. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Educational Mobility | Ghana | Ajayi | 2024 | Mixed | Journal of Human Resources: in Ghana’s exam-based secondary admissions, equally qualified students from low-performing elementary schools apply to weaker secondaries because they value proximity more and live farther from high-performing schools, limiting merit-based mobility. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | abdullah, Baker | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: In Creating Educational Justice: Learning from Black Home Educators (2025), Cheryl Fields-Smith presents a compelling examination of how Black home educators within the United States utilize home e. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Achievement | Morocco | Zirari, Azdagaz, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Results inform policy interventions targeting equitable resource distribution, gender parity, and public-private performance differentials. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Yi, Phillips | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: conclude that liberal procedural norms of transparent, critical, and open debate help citizens reach a consensus on the best means to achieve racial equality. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Yi, Phillips | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Professor Chen doubts our thesis that transparency, data, and debate are very useful for reaching consensus on post-SFFA admission procedures, reducing litigation over admissions, and broadly achie. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | California | Yi, Park | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Using quantitative and qualitative data, this study reveals various views among APAs, including among students, teachers, parents, and a consultant at a selective Southern California school. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Attainment | USA | Woodworth | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Education is a states’ right. Each state is allowed to determine their own curricula, their own standards, and their own graduation requirements. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Policy Analysis | USA | Wolf | 2025 | Positive | JPAM Point/Counterpoint: argues universal vouchers/ESAs are good policy given attainment, satisfaction, civic, and fiscal evidence plus expanding parental authority. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | White, Dionne, et al | 2025 | Positive | JSC: Our findings suggest that schools emphasizing engagement-focused instructional practices mitigate disparities in student growth underscoring the importance of integrating qualitative measures into evaluations of school effectiveness. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Enrollment | USA | Wang, Smith, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Comparative studies suggested possible advantages for homeschooled students in autonomy and academic self-efficacy, with broadly similar outcomes in other domains. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Magnet Schools | Achievement | USA | Wang, Leon, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: However, by the end of the 2021–22 school year, after one subsequent school year of in person learning, we found that they had caught up with their peers in math achievement. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Placement Priorities | New Orleans | Valant, Walker | 2025 | Negative | Journal of Human Resources: New Orleans choice applications show large racial and income gaps in requested schools, and even when Black/poor and White/nonpoor families name the same first-choice kindergarten, White and nonpoor families are more likely to receive it because of algorithm priorities. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Schools | Parental Choice | USA | Sokolowski, Perry, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: K–12 online distance education (ODE) is a growing sector of the education market. However, the demand-side factors that drive parents’ decisions to enroll their children in online schools remain understudied, particularly beyond the United States. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Accountability | USA | Smith | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Charter school authorizers serve as the gatekeepers of the sector – deciding which charter schools open and close. Despite their critical role in quality control, authorizers have been criticized for sidelining community-led visions for schooling. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Socioeconomic Stratification | Detroit | Singer | 2025 | Negative | EEPA mixed-methods Detroit study: charter schools enroll significantly fewer students in deep poverty than neighborhood schools, and selective schools enroll a distinctly advantaged population, via geography, social networks, reputations, and school practices. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Politics | USA | Shuls, McShane | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Results suggest private schools emphasize moral formation, responsibility, and parental control, while public schools focus on equity, inclusion, and community. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Shelton | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: The relationship between charter sector expansion and student sorting is related to the types of charters that open, where they locate, and how they design their admission policies. Researchers may debate the merits of various segregation measures, student racial groupings, or charter typologies, but decisions about how to examine the data do not negate the fact that there are identifiable patterns in the…. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Shelton | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: I conclude with a brief discussion of self-segregation under choice systems, opportunity hoarding, and policies that support integration. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Participation | North Carolina | Schuermann, Giersch | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: The findings point out that the communities where school choice may be most popular are the communities where its benefits are least available, perhaps indicating political shifts on the issue in the future. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Schneider | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: I headed the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) from 2018 to 2024. During that six-year term, I tried to modernize the Institute, an essential part of the nation’s education R&D infrastructure. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Schmid, Andersson, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: illustrate the predictive superiority of machine learning algorithms and that parents’ attitudes on time spent on standardized tests, and school funding are the most decisive predictors of their preferences and support for school choice policies. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Charters | Parental Choice | USA | Scafidi | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: The results indicate that students who transfer into virtual schools are negatively selected on emotional, social, and academic dimensions. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Centralized Assignment | Chicago | Sartain, Lewers, Barrow | 2025 | Mixed | EEPA: after Chicago’s GoCPS one-stop high-school application, students were more likely to enroll in high-performing high schools (continuing a pre-existing trend), charter enrollment slipped and neighborhood-school enrollment rose, and the number of admission offers fell, reducing ninth-grade uncertainty. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Schools | Parental Choice | USA | Sandberg, Erickson, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: enhance the understanding of the PPM theory by further defining moorings and demonstrating their significant role in parents’ decision-making process. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information | USA | Phelps | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: US Education policymaking would benefit from more separation of powers and checks and balances. Decision-making is too centralized; information dissemination too narrowly controlled. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Patrinos | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Public skepticism toward education research in the United States is growing. Recent national surveys reflect a crisis of confidence in the public education system and, by extension, the research th. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Unions | Rhetoric | USA | Nielsen | 2025 | Negative | Smoke and Mirrors?: NEA/AFT leader public statements emphasize social issues more than academic achievement (EFI WP #05-2025). | Visit Link |
| Finance | Systems | Fiscal Health | USA | Nielsen | 2025 | Negative | Are Our Schools Sick?: ESSER-era federal aid plus pre-COVID spending patterns leave many districts facing a fiscal cliff (EFI WP #02-2025). | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | High School Graduation | Utah | Ni, Gulosino, Altermatt, Rorrer | 2025 | Negative | AERA Open seven-cohort Utah analysis: charter high-school attendance is associated with a lower graduation probability than TPS, though the gap narrowed over time, and evidence is inconclusive on whether charters improve equity across student backgrounds. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Catholic Schools | Fiscal Effects | Argentina | Narodowski, Lenzi | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Focusing on Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, it finds that privatization not only persisted but often intensified under leftist rule. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Civic Participation | Michigan | Mcilwain, Reckhow, Gordon | 2025 | Negative | EdWorkingPaper 25-1186 matches student addresses to the Michigan voter file: households using interdistrict choice have 15% lower turnout in off-cycle school-bond elections and charter households 12% lower than assigned-school households, large enough to matter in close bond votes. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | Kansas | McShane | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: In “Segregated By Choice: The Relationship Between Charter School Type and School Racial Segregation in Two Cities,” Amy Shelton asks some big questions of charter schools in Kansas City and St. Lo. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Segregation | USA | Marshall, Mann, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: The findings highlight promising avenues for desegregation, emphasizing the importance of empowering local leaders and communities with innovative educational policies. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Marshall | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest educational research organization in the United States. Aside from teachers unions, it is one of, if not the, most visible educat. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Politics | New Hampshire | Maranto | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: As written a year ago in the introduction to Volume 18, the 2020s began as a decade of school choice, with charter schools growing incrementally, home education remaining far above pre-COVID levels, new forms of choice such as hybrid homeschools growing quickly in ways difficult to track, and education savings accounts (ESAs) skyrocketing.This reflects culture war battles, with parents left and (especially) right…. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | College Enrollment | California | Luu, Reed, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC all 2019 California seniors: after controls, charter students are 9.7 points less likely to enroll in community college but 2 points more likely to enroll in four-year public universities, with larger four-year gains for Black, Hispanic, and disadvantaged students. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Charter Schools | Teacher Pay | New Orleans | Lincove, Strunk, Barrett | 2025 | Mixed | Economics of Education Review hedonic wages as New Orleans charter employment rose from 70% to nearly 100% of teachers: charters reward master’s degrees, specialized training, and pre-service experience but not formal certificates; pay-for-performance and challenging-assignment premiums are significant but small, and bonuses are uncommon. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Microschools | Attainment | USA | Lee, Thompson, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Religious observance produced the largest effects, while testing outcomes and college matriculation did not contribute meaningfully to perceived success. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | For-Profit Management | Ohio | Lavertu, Tran | 2025 | Mixed | JPAM: Ohio nonprofit charters subcontracting with for-profit EMOs are at least as effective as nearby TPS on achievement and attendance (low-achieving students gain more on tests than in TPS) but tend to be less effective than nearby nonprofit-operated charters, especially for high-scoring, low-absence students. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Kelly, Zhong, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Using machine learning models, validated with a novel human coding, we find that equity values are far more prevalent than other values in higher education job postings, reaching a peak in 2022. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Justice, Fields-Smith | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Although researching diversity in the field of school choice is complex, methods of inquiry that center on parent voices promise to help scholars navigate the complexity of labeling subgroups of the population. The example of research done with Black home educators highlights how racism is a pervasive theme in their choice of schooling alternatives. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | USA | Justice | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Facing a school system that has failed to adequately serve the needs of racially minoritized students, parents with children of marginalized identities may use school choice options to address their children’s educational needs . Research with Black home educators has identified how a response to racism combines with parent engagement for parents who seek the promise of education by protecting their children from…. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Johnson | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: In June 2023, the US Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard ruled that race-based affirmative action in university admissions violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Access Costs | USA | Jabbar, et al. | 2025 | Negative | AERA Open: navigating choice systems imposes a double burden of time and information costs, especially on disadvantaged families. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Accountability | USA | Huerta | 2025 | Negative | NEPC policy brief: rapid ESA expansion has outpaced public oversight of spending, eligibility, and outcome reporting for private and at-home uses of public funds. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Tuition and Enrollment | USA | Harris, Olivier | 2025 | Mixed | EdWorkingPaper 25-1293: universal vouchers (2021-24) raised private enrollment ~3-4% versus non-universal states and tuition ~5-10%, concentrated in small/low-tuition and non-Catholic religious schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Policy Analysis | USA | Harris | 2025 | Negative | JPAM Point/Counterpoint: argues standard empirical policy analysis does not support scaling universal vouchers/ESAs given mixed-to-negative participant tests and targeting concerns. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Greene | 2025 | Positive | JSC: Why does the federal government have an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funding research to improve the efficacy of schools, but not an Institute of Grocery Science sponsoring research to imp. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Frisby | 2025 | Positive | JSC: This commentary responds to the assertions made in Professor Justice’s commentary, which promotes the narrative that racism experienced in public schools motivates Black parents to seek homeschooling for their children. The presentation of factual, qualitative, and quantitative empirical data is viewed as the best strategy for enabling readers to evaluate Professor Justice’s claims. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Catholic Schools | Segregation | Texas | Frankel | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Contrary to claims that school choice is inherently segregative or elite-driven, it shows how a marginalized ethnic group used parochial, ranch, and independent schools to sustain Catholic faith, the Spanish language, and selective Americanization. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Enrollment Shifts | Massachusetts | Francis, Goodman | 2025 | Mixed | Economics of Education Review (EdWorkingPaper 25-1233 twin): relative to pre-pandemic trends, fall 2024 MA enrollment is down 2% in local public schools, up 14% in private schools, and up 45% in homeschools, with public losses concentrated in higher-income districts and grades 5-8. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Segregation | Portugal | Firmino, Catela Nunes, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: examine segregation of low-achieving, immigrant, and low-socioeconomic status students (grades 1–12), across 5,000 Portuguese public schools in all 278 mainland municipalities, over a decade (2006/07-2016/17). Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Charters | Graduation and College | Indiana | Ferrare, Waddington, Zimmer, Berends | 2025 | Negative | Educational Researcher matching-cell study: Indiana students switching from a TPS eighth grade into a virtual charter high school experienced large negative impacts on graduation, dropout, and college enrollment versus brick-and-mortar charters, partly mediated by class size and course-taking patterns. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Segregation | Minnesota | Farah | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: examines the motivations behind school choice within the Somali community in Minnesota. Approximately 12% of charter schools in Minnesota are Somali-run, and 98% to 100% of students are of Somali descent. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | USA | Erickson, Gontram, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: These findings challenge claims that choice fosters ideological echo chambers and inform policy debates on school choice, democratic education, and pluralism. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Competition | North Carolina | Egalite, Mills | 2025 | Null | Journal of School Choice: NC Opportunity Scholarship expansion shows no consistent effect on public-school achievement across competition measures and subgroups. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Competition | Indiana | Egalite, Catt | 2025 | Null | AERA Open: Indiana Choice Scholarship competitive effects on remaining public-school students’ math/ELA and graduation are statistically indistinguishable from zero on average. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Segregation | Michigan | Edwards, Anderson | 2025 | Mixed | AERA Open grade-within-system variation: higher charter enrollment increases within-district racial and economic segregation in Michigan, while interdistrict-choice effects on within- and between-district segregation depend on the local presence of charters. | Visit Link |
| Operations | ESAs | Supply | USA | EdChoice | 2025 | Mixed | The Supply Side of ESAs: documents private-school and vendor growth in universal-ESA states (Arizona ESA ~29k to 85k; Florida added 600+ private schools over a decade). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Vouchers | Research Synthesis | USA | EdChoice | 2025 | Mixed | The 123s of School Choice 2025: inventory of 200+ U.S. private-choice empirical analyses across tests, attainment, satisfaction, competition, civic, integration, fiscal, and safety outcomes. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Program Inventory | USA | EdChoice | 2025 | Mixed | ABCs of School Choice 2025: annual encyclopedia of U.S. voucher, ESA, tax-credit, and related private-choice statutes, eligibility, and funding. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Private Schools | Achievement | Nigeria (Bauchi, Kaduna) | Dogar, Shakeel, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC two Northern Nigerian states: most children are in some education including unrecognized Quranic schools; privately managed schools have a slight numeracy/literacy edge after controls (not Hausa/SEL) and higher parental satisfaction. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | DiPerna | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: In her May 21 testimony before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon made clear that the federal role in education data collection and research is being s. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Unions | Staffing | USA | DeAngelis, Makridis | 2025 | Negative | Educational Bloat and the Role of Unions: union membership predicts higher administrative staff-to-student ratios (EFI WP #01-2025). | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Davis | 2025 | Negative | JSC: Seeking out performance information was also associated with a marginally increased probability of charter school attendance for some non-White families, but was also associated with a significantly decreased probability of attending private school for others. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Merit Assignment | Norway | Dalla-Zuanna, Liu, Salvanes | 2025 | Negative | AEJ: Applied: switching high-school admission from residence-based to merit-based allocation produces a small negative average effect that hides large losses for crowded-out low-GPA students, while high-GPA students gain access to oversubscribed schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Attainment | Arizona | Creed, Scott, et al | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: These patterns were consistent across contexts and suggest that while charter schools differentiated themselves from some of their traditional public school competitors, they did so in homogeneous ways. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Information Interventions | New York City | Cohodes, Corcoran, Jennings, Sattin-Bajaj | 2025 | Positive | EEPA school-level RCT in 473 NYC middle schools: counselor-delivered information reduced applications to and enrollment in high schools below the city median 75% graduation rate, with simplified paper tools beating customizable digital formats and producing less subgroup heterogeneity. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Attainment | Ohio | Chingos, Figlio, Karbownik | 2025 | Positive | Urban Institute: Ohio EdChoice associated with large gains in college enrollment (64% vs 48%) and bachelor’s completion (23% vs 15%) vs matched public-school students; modest positive effects on remaining public-school students. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Chen | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: I critique Yi and Phillips (2025) by offering alternative perspectives and interpretations to their conclusions. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Enrollment | USA | Chang | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Results show that in the High-school Basketball League (HBL), participating in male games increases male enrollment by 6.2%, while participating in female games decreases female enrollment by 9.2%. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Authorizer Accountability | Rhode Island | CREDO (Stanford) | 2025 | Positive | CREDO policy review of Rhode Island’s 2017 Charter School Performance Review System: interviews and document analysis credit the overhaul with clearer authorization/renewal standards, more transparent applications and hearings, and alignment with outcome-focused national practice that interviewees link to the state’s strong NCSS III charter results. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Information | USA | Bosáková | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: The study concludes that school choice is structurally conditioned and calls for policies supporting access and information beyond major cities. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Tax Credit Scholarships | Federal Implementation | USA | Blagg | 2025 | Mixed | Urban Institute brief on the 2025 federal tax-credit scholarship: Blagg estimates that after ramp-up, 2.7-3.6 million filers may take the credit and divert $2.7-6.1 billion a year depending on state opt-in, with states inheriting hard choices on SGO eligibility, qualified expenses, and oversight. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Schools | Test Scores | USA | Beck, Kingsbury | 2025 | Mixed | The Role of Test Anxiety in Virtual School Performance: testing context (off-site, compressed windows) may depress virtual students’ scores and distort accountability (EFI WP #03-2025). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Special Education | USA | Barnard-Brak, Richman | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: examined the behavioral outcomes of students with disabilities attending non-charter public, specialized charter, or non-specialized charter public schools. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Achievement | New Zealand | Archer | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: Findings reveal that students had minimal input in choosing their schools, with parental decisions primarily driven by faith alignment. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Private Schools | Value Added | Pakistan | Andrabi, Bau, Das, Khwaja | 2025 | Mixed | AER: validated school value-added in Pakistan varies widely within villages and within public and private sectors, so the private premium is not a single number; parents value SVA and private supply responds to demand for quality, but public supply does not. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Regulation | Sweden | Andersson, Henrekson | 2025 | Mixed | JSC: The study suggests balanced regulations are needed to support educational innovation while maintaining quality in Sweden’s independent school sector. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Open Enrollment | Achievement | Michigan | Anderson | 2025 | Positive | JSC: Results indicate that growth in school choice is associated with primarily positive changes (e.g., an increase in teacher experience and education levels), occurring primarily in charter schools, with limited changes in the TPS teacher workforce, suggesting institutional isomorphism. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Zuchanek, White | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: The results indicate that both the expansion and the specialization of the charter sector are important for district-wide achievement outcomes. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Curriculum | USA | Zhang, Gibson | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: Drawing on this review, it introduces a conceptual framework to support effective elective home education, with particular attention to enhancing children’s learning experiences. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Virtual Charters | District Segregation | Ohio | Yaluma | 2026 | Mixed | EdWorkingPaper 26-1495 matched event-study DiD: statewide virtual charters cut urban-district racial imbalance 45-75% but raised high-poverty concentration 10-24%; a large virtual-charter closure cut urban racial imbalance 27% while raising rural racial unevenness 38%, consistent with compositional sorting rather than integration. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | USA | Xu, Camarena Lopez | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: The findings provide descriptive evidence to guide future research on ELL outcomes. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | Iowa | Valiente, Ray, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: To begin filling this gap, we collected data from 709 children. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Assignment Algorithms | England | Terrier, Pathak, Ren | 2026 | Negative | AEJ: Applied national ban of Immediate Acceptance: moving 16 English local authorities from IA to Deferred Acceptance reduced measured school quality more for low-SES than high-SES students, mainly by cutting low-SES admissions at selective schools. | Visit Link |
| Policy | ESAs | Program Evaluation | Tennessee | Tennessee OREA | 2026 | Mixed | Comptroller OREA evaluation of Tennessee ESA (January 2026): enrollment 3,693 vs statutory cap 5,000; parent satisfaction high where measured; ESA students showed less TVAAS growth and lower TCAP scores than public-school peers on available comparisons. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Homeschool | Achievement | Ireland | Sunshine | 2026 | Positive | JSC: Findings indicate school-educated children are at greater psychiatric risk than home-educated children. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Achievement | Indonesia | Sugianto, Rubaidi, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: demonstrates how traditional institutions create educational pluralism, challenging Western-centric school choice models. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | USA | Singh | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: Constraints, Choice, and Strategies: Performing Middle-Classness Through School Choice. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Transportation Access | Detroit | Singer, Lenhoff | 2026 | Positive | EEPA: Detroit kindergarteners with a traditional or shuttle-style school bus to a given school were 4-5 percentage points more likely to enroll there, with larger associations for traditional buses in higher-crime neighborhoods and shuttles for farther choices. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Location | USA | Shuls, Goldberg, et al | 2026 | Positive | JSC: These findings suggest that familiarity generates positive feedback, contributing to the momentum behind choice expansion. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | India | Shakeel, Maranto | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: School Choice in India: Educational Markets, Parental Choice, and Emerging Research. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Special Education | Alabama | Schoettler, Marshall | 2026 | Null | JSC: Results suggest that there are few significant differences between parents of students with and without disabilities and that parents overall expressed high satisfaction. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Segregation | Oakland | Rothstein, Umosen, Walters | 2026 | Positive | NBER w34957: first-choice offers raise the chance Oakland kindergarten applicants stay in-district, but simulations show giving low-income students priority at high-income schools can substantially cut income segregation with minimal effects on district retention. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | California | Rose, Reed, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: compare California’s 1,300 charter schools to traditional public schools. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Systems | Media Coverage | Arizona | Nielsen | 2026 | Negative | Unfair & Imbalanced? Arizona metro news coverage of education freedom skews negative (EFI WP #07-2026). | Visit Link |
| Finance | Systems | Budgets | Arizona | Nielsen | 2026 | Mixed | Lower Enrollment, Higher Budgets: Arizona districts hold ~$8B in reserves (>60% of annual expenditures), meriting review (EFI WP #06-2026). | Visit Link |
| Academics | Vouchers | Achievement | Wisconsin | Niederjohn, Flanders | 2026 | Positive | JSC: Findings suggest evaluations of school choice should emphasize long-term participation rather than short-term outcomes alone. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Private Schools | Achievement | India | Nadal-Fernandez, Varghese, et al | 2026 | Positive | JSC: These findings suggest alternative public governance models can reshape enrollment within stratified educational markets. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Enrollment | India | Mishra | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: Private School Choice in India: Disparities in Enrollment and Experience. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | New York City | Lu, Weinberg, et al | 2026 | Positive | JSC: examines school choice patterns for the 2012 NYC kindergarten cohort through fifth grade. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Choice Architecture | USA | Lenhoff, Jabbar, Varner, Stout, Holloway | 2026 | Null | Educational Policy survey experiment plus interviews: reducing the number of school options or simplifying information does not lower parent stress or raise satisfaction; the actual choice process is not particularly stressful, and more advantaged parents report greater stress. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Enrollment | Brazil | Lellis | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: This reveals that legal reasoning prioritizes institutional criteria over actual learning, effectively excluding home education from recognition, even when demonstrably provided. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | USA | Lee, Scafidi, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: These findings suggest choice programs may increase access unevenly across the private sector, but that supply increases over time. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | India (Jharkhand) | Kumar, Kumar | 2026 | Positive | JSC: The results suggest that the household’s socio-economic characteristics, mother’s education level, distance to school, perception of the school’s reputation, and academic quality play a major role in school selection. | Visit Link |
| Operations | ESAs | Spending Compliance | Arizona | Kristof, Pendergrass | 2026 | Mixed | EdChoice July 2026 corrected Arizona ESA transaction brief (Kristof and Pendergrass): about 100,000 families spent over $1 billion across more than 2 million transactions in 2025-26, and the authors estimate overall unallowable spending at approximately 2 percent after revising reimbursement tabulations. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Virtual Schools | Achievement | USA | Kingsbury | 2026 | Mixed | Virtual Schools Reconsidered: Methodological Limits and Broader Outcomes — conventional test-based evaluations of virtual schools miss context and non-test outcomes (EFI Report, 2026). | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Accountability | Ohio | Kingsbury | 2026 | Mixed | The Mobility Penalty in School Value-added Accountability: Ohio VAM/accountability rules penalize schools serving highly mobile students (EFI Report, 2026). | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Enrollment | USA | Justus-Smith, Wang, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: School cost, class size, and student body characteristics were strongly associated with private school enrollment, while academic performance and location were linked to public-of-choice selection. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Special Education Choice | Identification and Achievement | Michigan | Imberman, Johnson | 2026 | Mixed | Education Finance and Policy heterogeneous DiD on Michigan students who eventually enter charters: charters are slightly more likely to identify students as SWDs after entry and increase SPED program assignments, but time spent in general education falls then reverts; the paper addresses whether charters underserve students with disabilities. | Visit Link |
| Finance | Private Schools | Fiscal Effects | India | Hoque | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: Analyzing data from 28 states between 2005-06 and 2019-20, we show that government spending responds to rising incomes, maternal education, family size, child population, and private school growth. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | Achievement | North Carolina | Hamilton | 2026 | Positive | JSC: Moreover, I find that charter high schools opened after North Carolina’s charter sector expansion were more likely to locate in low-socioeconomic neighborhoods. | Visit Link |
| Finance | ESAs | Fiscal Cost | Arizona | Grand Canyon Institute | 2026 | Negative | GCI estimates FY2025 net cost of Arizona universal ESA at about $360 million because a large share of users would not otherwise have attended district or charter schools. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Private Schools | Achievement | USA | Gallo, Ritter, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: find that state-level measures of school bullying and student achievement are the most robust predictors of school choice enrollment rates. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Achievement | Morocco | EL Bouhali, EL Alaoui, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: Overall, these findings highlight the importance of demographic, familial, and early educational factors in the choice of IB. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Operations | Parental Choice | Information | New York City | DiMartino, Gil, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: emphasize the importance of school systems prioritizing multi-directional communication to enhance the choice process and adapt their practices to accommodate the realities of families, thereby promoting access to accurate information. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Classroom Segregation | North Carolina | Crema | 2026 | Negative | AEJ: Economic Policy study of nearly 100 NC elementary charter entries: announcement of a nearby opening raises within-school-grade classroom racial segregation in nearby TPS, especially in non-majority-White schools and when the new charter enrolls a relatively large White share, though the author argues classroom channels are unlikely to reverse the literature’s conclusion that charter segregation effects are modest. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Charter Schools | Safety | USA | Cornell, Kerere, et al | 2026 | Positive | JSC: Overall, the findings indicate that BTAM functions similarly in traditional and nontraditional schools, although alternative and exceptional education schools had higher referral rates and more serious threats than other school types. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Charter Schools | College Attainment | Massachusetts | Cohodes, Pineda | 2026 | Positive | AER: Insights lottery study: urban MA charters raise college prep, enrollment, and graduation; nonurban charters raise college enrollment/graduation despite lower state-test and AP impacts. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Homeschool | Parental Choice | USA | Cheung | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: hopes to encourage positive change in public schools because school choice benefits when multiple enticing options exist. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Academics | Parental Choice | Accountability | India (West Bengal) | Bhowmik, Sen, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: examines the underlying causes behind this in North Bengal, a region with a large number of socio-economically disadvantaged people and explores the parents’ decision-making for school choice. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Safety | Kazakhstan | Bekova | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: Findings show that parents act as constrained choosers: proximity, safety, work routines, and housing largely influence their tendency to remain within designated catchment schools. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Parental Choice | Parental Choice | India | Atterberry, Joshi | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: Reasons to Stay: School (Im)Mobility Among Return Migrant Families in India. Abstract lacked directional result language, so Finding is coded Mixed. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Private Schools | Parental Choice | Indonesia | Amiruddin, Hilmy, et al | 2026 | Mixed | JSC: identify three social capital mechanisms : hierarchical trust structures where religious legitimacy must be established before other trust forms ; network effectiveness depending on culturally salient structures ; and normative multiplexity. | Visit Link |
| Policy | Open Enrollment | Matching vs Closures | New York City | Abdulkadiroglu, Pathak, Walters | 2026 | Mixed | NBER w34936 NYC high-school study: sophisticated reallocation that optimizes student-school matches yields only modest achievement gains because of scarce seats at highly effective schools, while replacing low-performing schools delivers comparable improvements with less disruption. | Visit Link |
