DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP): Providing Scholarships to Low-Income Students to Attend Private Schools in the District of Columbia
Intervention Details
Subjects
English Language Arts, MathAcademic Program
K12 Resource ProgramDuration
Up to 5 yearsGrades
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Personnel
Administrator
Intervention Summary
The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) is a program that provides low-income students, particularly those whose children attend schools identified for improvement or corrective action under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, with expanded opportunities to attend higher performing schools in the District of Columbia. The program provides scholarships of up to $7,500 to cover the costs of tuition, school fees, and transportation to a participating private school. The program is intended to address the problem of low-income students being trapped in low-performing schools by providing them with access to better educational opportunities. The program has been operated by the Washington Scholarship Fund (WSF) since 2004 and has served over 8,400 students to date.
Grades
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Personnel
AdministratorStatistical Finding Summary
No clear effect on longer-term achievement for students overall or for the high-priority group of students who applied from SINI 2003-05 schools
Positive effect on reading achievement for the not SINI 2003-05, higher baseline performance, and female subgroups of students
Positive effect on high school graduation rates for students overall, the high-priority SINI 2003-05 subgroup, students who applied to the Program with relatively higher levels of academic performance, and female students
Positive effect on parental perceptions of school safety and satisfaction
No effect on student perceptions of school safety and satisfaction
Source
Babette, G., Brian, K., Lou, R., Matthew, C., Michael, P., Nada, E. & Patrick, W. (2010). Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Final Report. NCEE 2010-4018 (ED510451). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED510451.pdf.
Data Sample by Population
These charts show the characteristics of the student populations studied. When assessing programs, you may want to prioritize interventions that yielded success in a similar demographic environment as your school or district.