Project Activities
Research question
The study would have answered the following overarching questions:
- How strong is interest in the OSP following the 2017 reauthorization, when Congress sought to remove potential barriers to participating in the program? What factors may influence whether or not families apply for and use OSP scholarships and remain enrolled over time?
- How might support for families interested in the OSP be bolstered? How does the program operator carry out the key activities necessary to implement the DC OSP and how do they — and participating schools — help families overcome challenges in applying for and using scholarships?
- What are the long-term outcomes, such as college enrollment and attainment, of participating in the DC OSP?
Structured Abstract
Design
This primarily descriptive study collected information using interviews and surveys with the program operator, all private schools in DC (both those that do and do not participate in the OSP), and approximately 1,400 parents and their 1,600 students who applied for OSP scholarships in spring 2021. The study also collected administrative records that identify where students apply to and actually attend school. Finally, the study would have collected college enrollment data for students that applied for scholarships in 2014-2017 to examine impacts on longer term achievement.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
The contract for this study was canceled in February 2025.
The study's first report was released in April 2025 and is available here. It found:
- Since the 2017 reauthorization, there has been no notable increase in eligible families’ interest in the program, as expressed through the number of applications submitted for an OSP scholarship.
- Students’ first-time use of scholarships offered to them began to stabilize following the reauthorization, after several years of decline. Still, most new applicants offered an OSP scholarship choose not to use it. In contrast, OSP students already using a scholarship stayed in the program at high rates.
- Changes in the public school landscape may be a factor in why interest in, and use of, OSP scholarships has not increased since reauthorization.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
