Cleveland and Milwaukee Voucher Programs Have Similar Student and Private School Eligibility Criteria

In accordance with state laws and regulations for student and school participation in the Cleveland and Milwaukee voucher programs, both programs target students from low-income families residing within the city or school district. Participating private schools must be located within the city or school district, comply with state requirements for private schools—such as those covering health and safety—and randomly select students when applications exceed available slots. The research team reported that 70 percent of voucher families were headed by a single mother, compared to 62–65 percent for public school families. Minority Group Members Predominate in School Populations, but Whether Voucher Programs Have Changed Schools’ Racial Composition is Unclear

Some information about the racial and ethnic composition of Cleveland’s and Milwaukee’s public school and voucher student populations is available, but whether the composition has changed as a result of the voucher programs is unclear. States Fund Voucher Programs Differently and Spend Less on Each Voucher Student Than on Each Public School Student

Ohio and Wisconsin use different methods to fund their school voucher programs and spend less on each voucher student than on each public school student. Ohio funds the Cleveland voucher program with Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid moneys appropriated from the state’s general revenue funds and reduces the Cleveland school district’s state revenues by the amount of the voucher program appropriation. Contract Researchers Found Little or No Significant Improvement in Voucher Students’ Achievement, but Other Investigators Found Some Positive Effects

The contract researcher teams for Cleveland and Milwaukee found little or no statistically significant differences in voucher students’ achievement test scores compared to public school students, but other investigators found that voucher students did better in some subject areas tested. Fourth Year Report, The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
Why GAO Did This Study

This report reviews the Cleveland and Milwaukee school voucher programs, which provide money for low-income families to send their children to private schools.

What GAO Found

Both programs require participating private schools to be located within the city or the city's school district and to adhere to state standards for private schools, such as those covering health and safety. In both Cleveland and Milwaukee, voucher students were more likely than public school students to come from poorer families that were headed by a single parent. Some information about the racial and ethnic composition of Cleveland's and Milwaukee's public school and voucher students is available, but it is unclear whether the composition changed as a result of the voucher programs. Ohio and Wisconsin use different methods to provide state funds for the voucher programs and spend less on voucher students than on public school students. The Cleveland voucher program is funded with Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid funds up to a limit set by the Ohio Legislature. Wisconsin funds the Milwaukee voucher program with general state aid funds on the basis of number of students participating in the program in a given year. The contracted evaluations of voucher students' academic achievement in Cleveland and Milwaukee found little or no difference in voucher and public school students' performance, but other studies found that voucher students did better in some of the subject areas tested.