Voucher Students Show Few Gains in First Year

D.C. Results Typical, Federal Study Says

By Amit R. Paley and Theola Labbé

Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, June 22, 2007; Page B01

Students in the D.C. school voucher program, the first federal initiative to spend taxpayer dollars on private school tuition, generally performed no better on reading and math tests after one year in the program than their peers in public schools, the U.S. Education Department said yesterday.

The department's report, which researchers said is an early snapshot, found only a few exceptions to the conclusion that the program has not yet had a significant impact on achievement: Students who moved from higher-performing public schools to private schools and those who scored well on tests before entering the program performed better in math than their peers who stayed in public school.