An important new study by researchers at Yale University found that students who exercised the choice option under NCLB were less likely to be suspended, had fewer unexcused absences, and, in some cases, had significantly higher test scores.
In “No Child Left Behind: Estimating the Impact on Choices and Student Outcomes,” Justine S. Hastings and Jeffrey M. Weinstein examine data from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to assess the effect that school choice had on student behavior, attendance, and academic performance. They compared data from winners and losers of school choice lotteries. (When requests for transfers outnumber available slots, schools must use a lottery to determine who may enroll in the school.)
Students who transferred to a school with test scores that were above the median had a significant increase in their test scores. According to the study, “Among students with above-median differences between the chosen school?s average test score and the score at their current NCLB school, admission to the chosen school increased test scores by 0.17 ? 0.19 student-level standard deviations.” The effect faded when students attended schools that had test scores that were at or below the median, as one would expect they would. Thus, the NCLB choice option could benefit students who are stuck in low-performing schools, so long as there is a higher-performing school for students to transfer to.
