Future Research Possibilities

As mentioned throughout, additional research is critical for understanding the various effects of school choice reforms, particularly as the landscape of choice reforms continues to expand in a dramatic fashion for students around the world. Such research can make significant contributions to educational policy related to private or Catholic schools, charter/independent schools, vouchers, education tax credits, and homeschooling. An important component of this future research should address questions that go beyond horse races between sectors (e.g., charter and non-charter students, voucher and non-voucher students, students benefiting from tax credits vis-à-vis those who do not, and homeschooler outcomes vis-à-vis public school student outcomes). Rather, understanding the conditions under which these choice options are effective or not will help push policy debates forward. Further cross-national research is also important to understand the school choice policy conditions related to student outcomes in different contexts. Such research will hopefully cumulate to further systematic knowledge-building and revision of policies and theories within research and policy communities, so that there is systematic growth in our understanding of the policies and research (see Cohen, 2003). In the future, research is needed not only to inform the policy debates about school choice, but to examine the effects on students who have historically not had access to the resources and educational opportunities that lead to future educational and adult attainments.