Many school choice proponents today focus on what choice does for the students who use it to leave traditional public schools. But one of the original arguments for choice was that, through competition, it would spur traditional public schools to improve.

So: Has it?

Do choice programs make traditional public schools better? Does the size of these competitive effects depend on the type of choice program? And what other factors might matter for the amount of competitive pressure that choice programs exert on traditional public schools?

On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Sarah Cordes. Nat and Sarah discuss ESAs and the new federal tax credit scholarship program, why school transportation matters so much for competitive effects, whether choice programs can be too large, how competition affects school principals, and what effect declining public school enrollments might have on school choice in the coming years.

Sarah Cordes is an associate professor of policy, organizational, and leadership studies at Temple University.

Show Notes:

Competition in Education Markets: Impacts, Perceptions, and Policy Contexts

The Effects of Charter Schools on Neighborhood and School Segregation: Evidence from New York City

In Pursuit of the Common Good: The Spillover Effects of Charter Schools on Public School Students in New York City