Jay Greene and Greg Forster, Manhattan Institute's Center for Civic Innovation
June 2003
Jay Greene and Greg Forster authored this new report from the Manhattan Institute's Center for Civic Innovation. It's timely because the Florida program that they analyzed is the nearest thing in America to a voucher program for disabled youngsters and, despite recent rejection of this approach by the U.S. House of Representatives, it remains a topic of intense interest as Congress reauthorizes the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). With 9,200 Florida youngsters using McKay Scholarships to attend private schools (and several hundred thousand more eligible for them), how this program is working is a matter of no little significance. According to Greene and Forster's data (based on surveys of parents of current and past scholarship users), it's working pretty well. "Virtually all measurements," they say, "showed higher levels of satisfaction, better provision of services, and better student environments at McKay schools than at public schools, and in almost all cases members of different racial, income, and disability groups showed no significant differences in their experiences." Left for another day is the question that special-ed evaluators find toughest to tackle: how much academic progress are the children making? You can find this 40-page report at http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_32.htm. - Chester E. Finn, Jr.
"New report finds significant benefits, parental satisfaction with Florida's innovative McKay scholarships," Press release of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, June 11, 2003, http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press108/06jun/manhattan061103.htm.
