Civic Report February 2001 An Evaluation of the Florida A-Plus Accountability and School Choice Program WHAT THE PRESS SAID A reply to critique of “An Evaluation of the Florida A-Plus Accountability and School Choice Program” by Richard Rothstein in the New York Times, May 9, 2001 by Jay P. Greene A Reply to “Critique of ‘An Evaluation of the Florida A-Plus Accountability and School Choice Program’” by Gregory Camilli and Katrina Bulkley in Education Policy Analysis Archives, Volume 9 Number 7 March 4, 2001 by Jay P. Greene, March 5, 2001 Bush's School Plan: Why We Know It'll Work by Jay P. Greene | New York Post, February 21, 2001 NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION: Bush Ed Plan Rates an “A”: An interview with Jay Greene | National Review, February 22, 2001 Threat of Vouchers Motivates Schools to Improve, Study Says | New York Times, February 16, 2001 Voucher threat forces Fla. schools to shape up | USA Today, February 16, 2001 Study backs Jeb Bush's voucher program | Washington Times, February 16, 2001 In Florida, lessons on vouchers: New study finds that the worst schools are turning around under a 'school choice' reform | Christian Science Monitor, February 16, 2001 Voucher backers tout Fla. scores | Boston Globe, February 16, 2001 Journal: Proof competition aids public schools | Atlanta Journal Constitution, February 15, 2001 How Vouchers Passed Their Florida Test | Reason, February 15, 2001 FLORIDA MEDIA ATTENTION: Study shows F schools make greater progress | Tallahassee Democrat, February 16, 2001 Voucher program boosting scores: Public schools are helping students perform better on state tests, a report says | Bradenton Herald, February 16, 2001 Threat of vouchers does work: State-funded survey evaluates failing schools | Pensacola News Journal, February 16, 2001 Vouchers threat didn't spur schools' progress | The Palm Beach Post, February 16, 2001 Study: failing schools improved twice as much as other schools | News-Journal Florida, February 16, 2001 Study says fear of vouchers drives Fla. schools to improve | Tampa Tribune, February 16, 2001 Study: Failing Schools Improved Twice as Much as Other Schools Tampa Bay Tribune, February 16, 2001 Researcher praises threat of vouchers: The poorest-performing schools showed academic gains when faced with vouchers, a study says | St. Petersburg Times, February 16, 2001 PRESS RELEASES: Gov. Jeb Bush on New Florida School Choice Study | February 15 , 2001 Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives | Boehner Hails Report Showing Parental Choice Leads to Better Education Quality for Students in Failing Schools, February 15, 2001 Florida Department of Education | Statement by Commissioner Crist on the Manhattan Institute Report, February 15, 2001

Program on Education Policy and Governance Harvard University EMAIL THIS | PRINTER FRIENDLY A-PLUS PDF WHAT THE PRESS SAID SUMMARY: By offering vouchers to students at failing schools, the Florida A-Plus choice and accountability system was intended to motivate those schools to improve their students' academic performance. This report found that students academic test scores improve when public schools are faced with the prospect that their students will receive vouchers. TABLE OF CONTENTS: About the Author Author’s Acknowledgements Executive Summary The Purpose of the Study A Brief Description of the A-Plus Program Other Research on Voucher and Accountability Systems The Design of the Current Study Data Examined The Results of Correlating FCAT and Stanford 9 Results Table 1: Verifying the Validity of the FCAT Results FCAT Improvements by State-Assigned Grade Table 2: Comparing Test Score Gains by School Grade A Hard Test of the Voucher Effect Table 3: Isolating the Effect of the Prospect of Vouchers Discussion Table 4: Verifying the Validity of the FCAT Results For Each State-Assigned Grade Table 5: Regression Analyses of the Effect of Prior Scores and Failing Status on  FCAT Score Improvements Notes