How U.S. Members of Congress Practice Private School Choice
How Members of Congress Practice Private School Choice
Backgrounder #2066
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/bg2066.cfm
According to a 2007 survey conducted by The Heritage Foundation, 37
percent of U.S. Representatives and 45 percent of U.S. Senators sent
their children to private schools: roughly four times the rate of the
rest of the population. Members of Congress should support policies
that give all families the opportunity to choose the best school
options for their children.
Many Members of Congress value the opportunity to choose a safe and
effective school for their own children, yet many of these same
Members consistently oppose school choice legislation that would give
the same opportunity to other families. For example, Senators Edward
Kennedy (D-MA) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) have been outspoken
opponents of school choice initiatives even though both have sent
their children to private schools.[1]
Since 2000, The Heritage Foundation has conducted several surveys of
Members of Congress to determine how many Senators and Representatives
practice school choice by sending their children to private school.[2]
In 2007, The Heritage Foundation updated this survey and found that 37
percent of Representatives and 45 percent of Senators in the 110th
Congress sent their children to private schools-almost four times the
rate of the general population.[3]
Based on the survey results, if all of the Members who exercised
school choice for their own children had supported school choice in
policy, every major legislative effort in recent years to give parents
school choice would have passed. Congress should support policies that
give all families the opportunity to choose the best school options
for their children.
The Parental Choice Survey of Members of Congress
In 2007, The Heritage Foundation conducted a survey of Members of
Congress to determine the percentage that practice private school
choice. The Heritage Foundation conducted similar surveys in 2000,
2001, and 2003,[4] and the results show that private school choice
continues to be an important option for elected leaders' families.
(See Table 1.)
The 2007 survey found that the percentage of Members of the 110th
Congress who practice private school choice is disproportionate to
the general populace, since only 11.5 percent of American students
attend private schools.[5] Also of note, Members of the Congressional
Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who represent
populations that have fared poorly academically in public schools and
that stand to benefit the most from educational options,[6] showed
particularly high rates of practicing school choice.
Notable findings include the following:
Over 37 percent of Representatives and 45 percent of Senators
responded that they had sent their children to private school;
Over 23 percent of House Education and Labor Committee members and 33
percent of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
members exercised private school choice; and
Exactly 52 percent of Congressional Black Caucus members and 38
percent of Congressional Hispanic Caucus members sent at least one
child to private school.[7]
Survey Details
Between January 22, 2007, and February 22, 2007, The Heritage
Foundation contacted the staff of each Representative and Senator to
ask whether the Member has children and, if so, whether they attend or
have attended public or private schools. For purposes of survey tabula
tion, Members who have sent at least one child to private school at
any time were categorized as having exercised school choice.
Because the 2007 survey was conducted in the same way as the 2003
survey, if a Member did not respond to the 2007 survey request, 2003
data were used whenever possible. If no data were available from
either survey and the Member did not respond, the Member was included
in the "no response" category.
Using this methodology, the response rate for the survey was 69
percent for Representatives and 72 percent for Senators.
Policy Relevance
Since 2001, Congress has considered multiple initiatives to expand
parental choice in education. In 2001, during the first congressional
debate over No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the House of Representatives
voted down an amendment that would have given scholarships to students
attending low-performing or dangerous public schools by a vote of 155
to 273.[8] During the Senate debate over NCLB, the Senate rejected a
pilot program to provide scholarships to low-income students by a
vote of 41 to 58.[9]
Based on the 2003 survey, each of these amendments would have passed
if Members who exercised school choice for their own children had
voted in favor of the school choice initiatives.
School Choice Developments Since 2003
Since the 2003 survey, Congress has taken an historic step to empower
parents by creating the first federal school voucher program for
disadvantaged children in Washington, D.C.
In 2004, the House of Representatives passed legislation to give low-
income students in the District of Columbia who are trapped in low-
performing public schools the opportunity to apply for a scholarship
to attend a private school of choice. The D.C. Choice Incentive Act of
2003 (H.R. 2556) passed by only one vote (209-208) as part of H.R.
2765. The vote was largely along party lines: Only 15 Republicans
voted against it, and only three Democrats voted for it.[10]
The Senate passed the measure by a vote of 65 to 28 as part of an
omnibus spending bill (H.R. 2673). Opposition to the voucher program
led some Senators to oppose the overall spending bill, and Senator
Kennedy and other Democrats held an anti-voucher rally immediately
after the vote.[11] Vowing to repeal the voucher program, he
proclaimed: "Even after this vote, don't bank on vouchers coming to
D.C."[12] However, opponents have not succeeded in repealing the
program.
Instead, the legislation created the first federally funded voucher
program, now known as the Washington, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship
Program. More than 1,800 students, with an average family income of
$21,100, are using opportunity scholarships to attend 66 participating
private schools in Washington. Approximately 11 percent of eligible
low-income students have applied for a scholarship.[13]
The D.C. scholarship program is an important step toward parental
choice in education. Despite serving only a limited number of
students, a school choice program in the nation's capital is a model
for the rest of the country.
Researchers have produced two key reports analyzing the program's
effectiveness.
The first report, published by the Georgetown University Public Policy
Institute in May 2007, found that "[t]he vast majority of families
participating in this study are satisfied with the OSP [Opportunity
Scholarship Program] in general, and their choice of new schools in
particular." The report concluded that parents were more involved in
their children's education and that their involvement increased the
longer their child participated in the program. The report also found
that participating parents had become active and engaged consumers of
education, visiting an average of three schools before selecting one.
[14]
The second report,released by the U.S. Department of Education in
June 2007, evaluated student achievement in the D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship Program.[15] While the report found gains among some
subgroups, the academic results were predictably modest since the
study evaluated students after only one year in the program.
Academic achievement studies of similar voucher programs have been
positive. Eight random-assignment studies of five school voucher and
tuition scholarship programs compared the performance of students who
were awarded scholarships to attend private school through a lottery
system to the performance of their peers who entered the lottery but
did not receive scholarships and therefore remained in public school.
According to education researcher Jay Greene, all but one of these
studies found that students using scholarships to attend private
schools performed significantly better academically, and every study
found some positive academic effect. For example, two randomized-
experiment studies of the Milwaukee school voucher program have found
that students who received vouchers through a lottery made academic
gains when compared to their peers who remained in public school.
Similar studies of private school choice programs in other cities
(e.g., Charlotte, New York City, and Washington, D.C.) reached similar
conclusions.[16]
Additional Progress for School Choice
The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program represents a significant
policy advance at the federal level, but the most important progress
is being made at the state level. Twelve states and the District of
Columbia offer publicly funded private-school choice programs.[17]
The number of states offering private school choice will increase
because of the 2007 state legislative sessions. In May, Georgia
Governor Sonny Perdue (R) signed into law a special-needs scholarship
program,[18] and Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. (R), signed into law
a nearly universal school voucher program.[19] Implementation of
Utah's program has been delayed by voucher opponents, who mounted a
successful petition drive to put the measure to a referendum. Utah
voters will decide the future of the program in November 2007.
Regardless of the outcome of the Utah referendum, the number of
students benefiting from school choice options will increase in 2008
because other states, including Pennsylvania, have expanded their
existing programs to include more students.[20] Currently, an
estimated 150,000 students are participating in private-school choice
programs across the country.
The Benefits of School Choice
For the Members of Congress who exercise school choice, the benefits
of allowing parents to choose a safe and effective school for their
children should be obvious. In addition, a growing body of research
and practical evidence shows that school choice programs are working:
School choice options have proven widely popular with families. When
private-school scholarships have been made available, many families
have applied, and programs that are fully phased-in have long waiting
lists for scholarships.[21]
School choice programs improve parents' satisfaction with their
children's schools.[22]
Children benefiting from school choice scholarships have improved
academically compared to their peers.[23]
School choice programs have had a positive effect on public school
systems because the threat of competition is spurring public schools
to improve their services.[24]
School Choice Proposals in the 110th Congress
During the 110th Congress, Members will have opportunities to maintain
and expand parental choice in education. For example, the D.C.
Opportunity Scholarship Program receives annual appropriations and is
set to expire in 2008.
If all Members of Congress who have sent their children to private
schools voted in accordance with the choices they have exercised
personally, the program would be reauthorized with a healthy margin.
Over 37 percent of House Democrats have practiced school choice, but
96 percent of Democrats who practiced school choice voted against the
voucher program.[25]
In addition, parental choice will be part of the reauthorization
debate over No Child Left Behind. Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon
(R-CA), ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee, and
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) have introduced the
Empowering Parents Through Choice Act (H.R. 1486).[26] This
legislation would provide low-income students trapped in schools
labeled as "restructuring" or "failing" under NCLB with a scholarship
to attend a private school of choice. If each of the Representatives
who practice school choice were to join with those who have
traditionally supported school choice, the Empowering Parents through
Choice Act would also pass.
Conclusion
Parents, the public, and Members of Congress have shown that they
value allowing parents to choose a safe and effective education for
their children. According to a 2007 survey conducted by The Heritage
Foundation, 37 percent of U.S. Representatives and 45 percent of U.S.
Senators sent their children to private schools-roughly four times the
rate of the rest of the population.
Regrettably, many families-unlike Members of Congress-simply do not
have the financial means to send their children to private schools,
especially after paying taxes to support public education. Members of
Congress should support policies that give all families the
opportunity to choose the best school options for their children.
Evan Feinberg is a Research Assistant in the Domestic Policy Studies
Department at The Heritage Foundation. John Lavoie and Elizabeth
Smitham, Heritage Foundation interns, contributed to this report.
Appendix
[1] For examples, see Karen DeWitt, "The New Presidency: Chelsea's
School; Sidwell Is Often Chosen by Capital's Elite," The New York
Times, January 6, 1993, p. A14; Deroy Murdock, "A Friendship Killer,"
National Review, September 22, 2003, at www.nationalreview.com/murdock/
murdock200309221702.asp (May, 21, 2007); and Carrie L. Lukas, "The
Choice of Private Schools," Independent Women's Forum, February 1,
2004, at www.iwf.org/issues/issues_detail.asp?
ArticleID=467 (May 21, 2007).
[2] Survey respondents were assured that the results would not be
attributed to individual Members of Congress.
[3] Survey results reflect individuals who have or have had school-age
children. For more detailed survey results, see the Appendix.
[4] Krista Kafer and Jonathan Butcher, "How Members of Congress
Practice School Choice," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1684,
September 3, 2003, at www.heritage.org/Research/Education/BG1684.cfm;
Jennifer Garrett, "Another Look at How Members of Congress Exercise
School Choice," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1553, May 22,
2002, at www.heritage.org/Research/Education/BG1553.cfm; and Nina
Shokraii Rees and Jennifer Garrett, "How Members of Congress Practice
School Choice," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1377, June 13,
2000 at www.heritage.org/Research/Education/BG1377.cfm.
[5] Author's calculation based on enrollments in public and private
schools in 2005, reported in U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2006,
NCES 2006-030, Chap. 1, at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d06/ch_1.asp
(August 29, 2007).
[6] Blacks and Hispanics score significantly lower than their
Caucasian peers on measures of long-term academic achievement as
measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. U.S.
Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National
Center for Education Statistics, "The Nation's Report Card: National
Assessment of Educational Progress," Web site, at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard
(August 28, 2007). Polling data show support for school choice among
minority populations. For example, see Latino Coalition and Hispanic
Business Roundtable, "National Survey of Hispanic Adults," July 24,
2001; Sari Horowitz, "Poll Finds Backing for D.C. School Vouchers;
Blacks Support Idea More Than Whites," The Washington Post, May 23,
1998, p. F1; and press release, "New Evidence Shows Bipartisan Support
for School Choice Programs in Florida by Registered Latino Voters,"
Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options, October 17, 2006,
at www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=7283 (August 28, 2007).
[7] For a full breakdown of survey statistics, see the Appendix.
[8] See H. Amdt. 57, 107th Congress, 1st Sess.
[9] See S. Amdt. 536, S. Amdt. 357, and S. Amdt. 358, 107th Congress,
1st Sess.
[10] U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, "Final Vote
Results for Roll Call 490," September 9, 2003, at
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll490.xml (August 28, 2007).
[11] Robert Marus, "Senators Approve DC Vouchers; Opponents Vow Legal
Responses," Associated Baptist Press News, January 25, 2004, at
www.abpnews.com/2405.article (June 18, 2007).
[12] "Overdue Spending Bill Wins Approval in Senate," The Seattle
Times, January 23, 2004, at http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/
cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/
display?slug=spend23&date=20040123 (August 28, 2007).
[13] Washington Scholarship Fund, "D.C. School Choice Program Sets
Record for Enrolled K-12 Students in Third Academic Year," September
26, 2006, at www.washingtonscholarshipfund.org/092606.asp (June 18,
2007).
[14] Stephen Q. Cornman, Thomas Stewart, and Patrick J. Wolf, "The
Evolution of School Choice Consumers: Parent and Student Voices on the
Second Year of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program," Georgetown
University Public Policy Institute, School Choice Demonstration
Project, May 2007, pp. viii, 19, and 34, at www.georgetown.edu/research/scdp/files/
Evolution%20of%20School%20Choice%20
Consumers%20PSV.pdf (August 28, 2007).
[15] Patrick Wolf, Babette Gutmann, Michael Puma, Lou Rizzo, and Nada
Eissa, "Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts
After One Year," U.S. Department of Education, June 2007, at
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pdf/20074009.pdf (July 24, 2007).
[16] Jay P. Greene, Education Myths (Lanham, Md.: Rowman and
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005), pp. 150-154.
[17] Dan Lips and Evan Feinberg, "School Choice: 2006 Progress
Report," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1970, September 18,
2006, at www.heritage.org/Research/Education/bg1970.cfm.
[18] Alliance for School Choice, "Governor Perdue Signs Special Needs
Scholarship into Law," May 18, 2007, at www.allianceforschoolchoice.org/more.aspx?IITypeID=3
&IIID=3347(May 21, 2007).
[19] Dan Lips and Evan Feinberg, "Utah's Revolutionary New School
Voucher Program," Heritage Foundation WebMemo No. 1362, February 16,
2007, at www.heritage.org/Research/Education/wm1362.cfm.
[20] Alliance for School Choice, "Pennsylvania Expands School Choice
Program by $16 Million," July 18, 2007, at www.allianceforschoolchoice.org/more.aspx?IITypeID=3
&IIID=3396 (August 30, 2007).
[21] Anemona Hartocollis, "Private School Choice Plan Draws a Million
Aid Seekers," The New York Times, April 21, 1999, p. A1.
[22] For examples, see Dan Lips, "The Impact of Tuition Scholarships
on Low-Income Families: A Survey of Arizona School Choice Trust
Parents," Goldwater Institute Policy Report No. 187, December 11,
2003, at www.goldwaterinstitute.org/Common/Files/Multimedia/392.pdf
(August 28, 2007); Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster, "Vouchers for
Special Education Students: An Evaluation of Florida's McKay
Scholarship Program," Manhattan Institute Civic Report No. 38, June
2003, at www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_38.htm (June 18, 2007);
and Stacey Bielick and Christopher Chapman, "Trends in the Use of
School Choice, 1993 to 1999," NCES 2003-031, U.S. Department of
Education, National Center for Education Statistics Statistical
Analysis Report, May 2003, p. 25, at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003031.pdf
(June 18, 2007).
[23] Greene, Education Myths, pp. 150-154.
[24] Caroline Minter Hoxby, "Rising Tide," Education Next, No. 4
(Winter 2001), at www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3381471.html
(June 18, 2007).
[25] Author's calculation based on U.S. House of Representatives,
Office of the Clerk, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 490," and The
Heritage Foundation, school choice survey of the Members of the 110th
Congress, January-February 2007.
[26] Howard P. McKeon (R-CA), "The Empowering Parents Through Choice
Act," Dear Colleague letter, March 13, 2007, at
http://republicans.edlabor.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx? NewsID=89 (August
28, 2007).
date: Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:28:15 -0700
author: Mike
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