The Horizon program, sponsored by the Children’s Educational Opportunity Foundation, was launched in April 1998, allowing students in San Antonio’s Edgewood Independent School District to use vouchers starting with the 1998_99 school year.
Scholarships in the Horizon program are worth up to $3,600 for elementary students and $4,000 for high school students. Private schools within the Edgewood district may keep the full scholarship, even if tuition is less, while those outside of the district receive the scholarship or actual tuition, whichever is less.
To establish a baseline for their study, which will extend over several years, researchers from the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University tested students over a four-month period starting November 2, 1998. As the study continues, information will be provided on the political and institutional context of the program. The study will also compare Edgewood students and parents to those in three comparable school districts.
