Policymakers are often placed in the position of having to choose between two opposing assertions with scant factual support for either. The first-year findings from the New York School Choice Scholarship Program help determine which assertions in the school choice debate now have research to back them up.
| Supporters of school choice assert: | Opponents of school choice assert: |
| Low-income families are just as capable as higher-income families of choosing the best school for their child and will make that choice based primarily on academics. [PROVEN TRUE BY RESEARCH] | Low-income families choose schools more on the basis of location, religious affiliation, and sports programs than educational quality [PROVEN FALSE BY RESEARCH] |
| Low-income, inner-city children learn more in private schools. [PROVEN TRUE BY RESEARCH] | Any perceived learning gains in private schools are due to the more selected nature of private school families. PROVEN FALSE BY RESEARCH] |
| The superior academic performance of private schools is due in large part to higher expectations for all students. | Private schools select “the best and the brightest,” leaving behind the disadvantaged. [PROVEN FALSE BY RESEARCH] |
| School choice reduces the amount of mobility from school to school both within the school year and from one year to the next. | When choices are available, mismatches often occur and private schools expel problem students, adding to the instability of the education of children from low-income, inner-city families. [PROVEN FALSE BY RESEARCH] |
| A more orderly educational climate in private schools enhances learning opportunities. [PROVEN TRUE BY RESEARCH] | Private school rules, such as uniforms and dress codes, interfere with a child’s creativity. |
| Private schools use their limited resources more efficiently. [PROVEN TRUE BY RESEARCH] | Public schools have a broader range of programs to serve needy populations. [PROVEN TRUE BY RESEARCH] |
| Families develop closer communications with schools they themselves choose. [PROVEN TRUE BY RESEARCH] | Private schools naturally attract those parents who are more involved in the education of their children and their schools. [PROVEN FALSE BY RESEARCH] |
| Choice fosters racial and ethnic integration. [PROVEN TRUE BY RESEARCH] | Private schools balkanize the population into racially and ethnically homogenous educational environments. [PROVEN FALSE BY RESEARCH] |
