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The study was released by the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation. It follows two other studies by the Foundation that found private schools participating in the Cleveland and Milwaukee voucher programs to be 18 and 13 points less segregated than their public school counterparts.
"Private schools have more potential to desegregate students because they break down geographic barriers, drawing students together across neighborhood boundaries," said the report's author, Greg Forster, Ph.D. "But this potential for desegregation in private schools is hindered because many students can't afford private school. School vouchers overcome the monetary barrier, enabling private schools to make desegregation a reality."
The report also identified flaws in certain studies comparing voucher programs and cited the importance of comparing like grades to like grades, and not examining unrepresentative kindergarten programs.
According to the Foundation, three valid empirical studies have also compared public and private schools in general. They show that private schools are actually less segregated than public schools when examined at the classroom level, and that segregation levels in private schools are not substantially different from those in public schools when examined at the school level.
"This report confirms that private schools in voucher programs are less segregated than public schools," said Robert Enlow, executive director of the Friedman Foundation. "The plain truth is that the tactics of school choice opponents don't hold up, particularly in light of the evidence that strongly suggests school choice can tear down the walls of segregation."
For more information, visit www.friedmanfoundation.org. One study found that
school vouchers may help desegregate schools.
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