Stigmas without Vouchers: The Impact of Ratings on Student Achievement in Under- Performing Schools

Please Do Not Cite without Author Permission Under the Florida A+ Accountability Program, Florida’s schools are graded based on student performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Previously, when schools would earn their second failing grade within four years, students assigned to these schools were offered vouchers to attend private schools. However, in January of 2006 the Florida Supreme Court declared the private school voucher component of the A+ Program unconstitutional, eliminating the private school voucher threat for students enrolled in failing schools. This exogenous shock allows us to test whether private voucher threats and the funding tied to students matter, or whether it is the stigma of publicly receiving a failing grade that motivates schools to respond. We find no evidence that the private school voucher threats drove academic improvement beyond what is seen in failing schools when this voucher threat is removed