Publications – Research & Commentary: Poor Assessment Results Highlight Need for Education Choice in Oregon – The Heartland Institute

The latest results from Oregons Smarter Balanced exams show just 52 percent of students in grades 38 tested proficient to grade level in English language arts (ELA), while only 40 percent did so in mathematics. These are the worst results in the tests five-year history.

Looking further into the data, only 30 percent of black students tested proficient in ELA, and just 17 percent in math. For Hispanic students, 35 percent tested proficient in ELA and 24 percent in math. For low-income students, 39 percent were proficient in ELA and 28 percent in math. Only 58 percent of students in Portland Public Schools, the states largest district, tested proficient in ELA and just 45 percent in math.

The results of these tests show Oregon public schools are failing to educate to grade level roughly half of the studentsin their charge in ELA and math. These mediocreresults from Oregon public schools are unacceptable and highlights the need for a stark and immediate change from the status quo.

Oregon public schools need more competition. Moreover, Oregon families need more education options. These goals could be achieved by establishing more private school choice options such as an education savings account (ESA) program.

With ESA, state education funds allocated for a child are placed in a parent-controlled savings account. Under the proposed program, parents could use a state-provided, restricted-use debit card to access education funds to pay for resources for their childs unique educational program. ESA funds could be used to pay for tuition and fees at private and parochial schools,textbooks and curriculum materials, online courses, tutoring services, educational therapies, computer hardware, or transportation costs. They could also be used to cover the fees required to take national standardized achievement tests, such as the SAT or ACT,as well as tuition, fees, and textbooks at postsecondary institutions.

Copious empirical researchcovering ESAs and other school choice programs shows they offer families improved access to high-quality schools that meet their childrens unique needs and circumstances. Moreover, these programs improve access to schools that deliver quality educationinexpensively. Additionally, these programsbenefit public school studentsand taxpayers by increasing competition,decreasing segregation,andimproving civic values and practices.

Students at private schools are alsoless likelythan their public school peers to experience problems such as alcohol abuse, bullying, drug use, fighting, gang activity, racial tension, theft, vandalism, and weapon-based threats.There is also astrong causal linksuggesting private school choice programs improve the mental health of participating students.

It is probably for these reasons that choice programs are more popular with parents than ever before. The results of EdChoices sixth annualSchooling in Americasurvey, released in December 2018, found 74 percent of respondents favor ESAs, up 3 percentage points from 2017. According to the survey, support for ESAs is 76 percent among millennials, 72 percent for those with incomes less than $40,000 a year, 79 percent for blacks, 70 percent for Hispanics, 72 percent among self-identified Democrats, and 77 percent among independents. Another 64 percent support voucher programs and 66 percent support tax-credit scholarships.

Supporters of parental freedom in education hope Oregon lawmakers will take a closer look at the popularity and efficacy of school choice programs in 2020. It is time to reform Oregons mediocre public education system. Beaver State families are ready for education choice. Public schools should not hold a monopoly on education. By implementing an ESA program, legislators can ensure more Oregon children have the opportunity to attend a quality school.

The following documents can provide more information about ESAs and parental choice in education.

The 123s of School Choicehttps://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/123s-of-School-Choice.pdfThis report from EdChoice is an in-depth review of the available research on private school choice programs in America. Areas of study include: private school choice program participant test scores, program participant attainment, parent satisfaction, public school students test scores, civic values and practices, racial/ethnic integration and fiscal effects.

A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on School Choice (Fourth Edition)http://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/A-Win-Win-Solution-The-Empirical-Evidence-on-School-Choice.pdfThis paper by EdChoice details how a vast body of research shows educational choice programs improve academic outcomes for students and schools, saves taxpayers money, reduces segregation in schools, and improves students civic values. This edition brings together a total of 100 empirical studies examining these essential questions in one comprehensive report.

Protecting Students with Child Safety Accountshttps://www.heartland.org/publications-resources/publications/protecting-students-with-child-safety-accountsIn thisHeartland Policy Brief, Vicki Alger, senior fellow at the Independent Womens Forum and research fellow at the Independent Institute, and Heartland Policy Analyst Tim Benson detail the prevalence of bullying, harassment, and assault taking place in Americas public schools and the difficulties for parents in having their child moved from a school that is unsafe for them. Alger and Benson propose a Child Safety Account program, which would allow parents to immediately have their child moved to a safe school private, parochial, or public as soon as parents feel the public school their child is currently attending is too dangerous to their childs physical or emotional health.

2018 Schooling in America Survey: Public Opinion on K12 Education, Parent and Teacher Experiences, Accountability, and School Choicehttps://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-Schooling-In-America-by-Paul-DiPerna-and-Michael-Shaw.pdfThis annual survey from EdChoice, conducted in partnership with Braun Research, Inc., measures public opinion and awareness on a range of K12 education topics, including parents schooling preferences, educational choice policies, and the federal governments role in education. The survey also records response levels, differences, and intensities for citizens located across the country and in a variety of demographic groups.

The Public Benefit of Private Schooling: Test Scores Rise When There Is More of Ithttps://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa830.pdfThisPolicy Analysisfrom the Cato Institute examines the effect increased access to private schooling has had on international student test scores in 52 countries. The Cato researchers found that a 1 percentage point increase in the share of private school enrollment would lead to moderate increases in students math, reading, and science achievement.

The Effects of School Choice on Mental Healthhttps://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3272550This study from Corey DeAngelis at the Cato Institute and Angela K. Dills of Western Carolina University empirically examines the relationship between school choice and mental health. It finds that states adopting broad-based voucher programs and charter schools witness declines in adolescent suicides and suggests that private schooling reduces the number of times individuals are seen for mental health issues.

Competition: For the Childrenhttps://www.heartland.org/publications-resources/publications/competition-for-the-childrenThis study from the Texas Public Policy Foundation claims universal school choice results in higher test scoresfor students remaining in traditional public schoolsand improved high school graduation rates.

Nothing in thisResearch & Commentaryis intended to influence the passage of legislation, and it does not necessarily represent the views of The Heartland Institute. For further information on this subject, visitSchool Reform News, The Heartland Instituteswebsite, andPolicyBot, Heartlands free online research database.

The Heartland Institute can send an expert to your state to testify or brief your caucus; host an event in your state; or send you further information on a topic. Please dont hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance! If you have any questions or comments, contact Heartlands government relations department, atgovernmentrelations@heartland.orgor 312/377-4000.

Read more:

Publications - Research & Commentary: Poor Assessment Results Highlight Need for Education Choice in Oregon - The Heartland Institute