Summary of the Research on School Choice in the United States

The purpose of this paper is to provide a synthesis of the research and analysis that exists in the literature about school choice. The primary focus of the paper is on research which has implications for the development and evaluation of public policy regarding school choice.

This paper neither promotes nor discourages the provision of school choice, but rather provides information designed to assist policymakers, parents, educators, and interested members of the public with an objective source of information.

The paper concludes with a summary of research questions about school choice which are either unaddressed or unresolved in the existing literature.

The paper is divided into six sections:

1. Types of School Choice Programs

2. Efficacy of Choice Programs

3. Economic Theories of School Choice

4. Private Schools and Choice

5. Public Opinion About School Choice

6. Unknowns About School Choice