04.27.17

Scott Statement on Findings of D.C. Voucher Program Study

WASHINGTON, DC –  Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the Department of Education released a report concluding that the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) – the only federally funded voucher program – had negative impacts on student achievement.

"We know vouchers don't work. For years I've been saying that on average, voucher programs are average. But IES confirms that they are actually worse than traditional public schools. Recent evaluations of the voucher programs in Louisiana and Ohio showed the harmful effects of private school vouchers on student learning. Now we know that the D.C. voucher program, forced on the District by Congress, is no different. D.C. students using vouchers actually lose learning; they perform significantly worse on math in the first year they used the voucher. In the case of early grades, they performed worse in both math and reading. We know that these failed programs drain public schools of limited resources, only to deliver broken promises of academic success to parents and students. Congress must end this failed program and support the more than 90 percent of students nationwide who are enrolled in public schools."

FULL REPORT: Evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program - IES

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