School Voucher Policy and Implementation: Lessons From Indiana and Tennessee

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Educational vouchers have been hotly debated among policymakers, the media, and researchers, with research finding mixed evidence on their effectiveness. The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program (ICSP)—enacted amidst considerable political conflict and designed for broad reach, aggressive growth, and large size—is distinctive within the U.S. landscape of voucher programs. This symposium provides new evidence on school voucher policies and programs nationwide, with a focus on state policy laws and debates in Indiana and Tennessee. The session also presents findings on ICSP implementation—organizational and instructional changes in voucher program schools, social and academic integration of voucher students, and satisfaction with the ICSP—that will be of interest to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers seeking to better understand voucher program effects.

Sub Unit

• Division L - Educational Policies and Politics / Section 4: School Choice and Other Reforms

Chair

• Mark Berends, University of Notre Dame

Papers

• The Warp and Woof of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program - John Andrew Schoenig, University of Notre Dame

• Education Markets and Private School Missions: The Supply Side of the Tennessee School Voucher Plan - Claire E. Smrekar, Vanderbilt University; Ngaire Honey, Vanderbilt University

• The Role of Schools in Publicly Funded Voucher Programs: Early Implementation Experiences - Megan J. Austin, University of Notre Dame

• Blending Into My New School: The Integration of Voucher Students in Indiana Private Schools - Richard Joseph Waddington, University of Notre Dame; Mark Berends, University of Notre Dame

• Understanding Private School Perspectives for Policy Improvement and Satisfaction Within the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program - Ellen Brandenberger, University of Notre Dame

Discussant

• Patrick J. Wolf, University of Arkansas