Giving Compass' Take:

· Education researchers Diether Beuermann and C. Kirabo Jackson have provided evidence implying that standardized test scores are not the best way to determine education choices. According to the Cato Institute, parents know what's best for their children and should base decisions on other factors unrelated to test scores.

· What should parents look for in schools when making their decisions? Why is it important to look at the full picture instead of singularly focusing on test scores? 

· Learn more about what test scores tell us when making school decisions.

A recent federal evaluation found that using a voucher to attend a private school in D.C. reduced student math test scores by 10-percentile points and had no statistically significant effect on reading test scores. However, the same private school students were over 35 percent more likely than their public school peers to report that they were in a “very safe” school. These findings have led some education policy analysts to call for additional standardized testing regulations of school voucher programs. After all, we could just force all schools to be “high quality,” right?

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Especially when regulators use shaky measures of quality.

New rigorous evidence from education researchers Diether W. Beuermann and C. Kirabo Jackson suggests that parents know what’s best for their own children in the long-run. But whatever that is, it isn’t captured by standardized test scores.

Read the full article about education choices by Corey A. DeAngelis at Cato Institute.