A new study published in EdNext looks at the impact of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC), which allows low-income children to receive scholarships to attend private schools, on public schools nearby.

The study, “Does Competition Improve Public Schools,” by Cassandra Hart and David Figlio, examines whether students in schools that face a greater threat of losing students to private schools as a result of the introduction of the FTC program improved their test scores more than students in other schools. It finds that public schools that faced competition for students improved more than other schools did.

The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program was signed into law in 2001. Tax credit programs now send many more low-income students to private schools than do traditional voucher programs.

The study is summarized in a press release here.

David Figlio talks with EdNext’s Marty West about the study in a podcast posted here.