Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines areas such as the effect of choice and vouchers on student outcomes, the processes of choice, supportive conditions of school choice programs, comparative features of school choice, and future research. It addresses whether school choice works, for whom, and under what conditions—thus further informing educational research, policy, and practice. The book addresses some of the variations of school vouchers, including tax credit programs and educational savings accounts. It provides a history of voucher and tax credit programs, the supply side of private schools in voucher programs, and a review about voucher effects on student achievement. The book presents evidence from research in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to investigate the multiple forms of evidence intermediary organizations (IOs) are producing and promoting, and how political contexts might inform policymakers' and intermediary organizations' (IOs) use of it.