In his lecture, "The Education Gap: Vouchers and Urban Schools," Howell discussed what he feels is ultimately the most important question: How do vouchers affect students? During his lecture, Howell presented information gathered during his research based on programs in three different cities, Dayton, Oh.; New York City; and Washington, D.C., to analyze how a pilot voucher program had affected schools in those areas.
Students and their families were offered the opportunity to receive $2,500 vouchers. Then, a series of surveys and baseline tests were administered to those who showed interest, after which a lottery selected scholarship recipients. Follow-up tests were administered after one, two and three years.
Results showed that from students who accepted vouchers, African Americans benefitted most and showed greatly improved test scores. Even though aspects such as parental involvement and racial integration did not change as students went from public to private schools, African American students' test scores significantly increased, unlike those of white or Hispanic students. This leads researchers to believe, as Howell put it, that "the effects [of vouchers] vary from students of different ethnic backgrounds."
On the other hand, test scores for students in other ethnic groups remained stagnant. This should change, according to Howell, how we think about the voucher program. "The right question is not about the effect of vouchers, but rather, the effect on whom?" he said.
Howell posed a second question to the audience. "Why are the effects discernible for African Americans but not for Hispanics?" he asked. He said there was no clear answer though he offered several hypotheses, one of which was that fact that where you go to school, for most Americans, depends on where you live. "Vouchers," said Howell, "break the link between where you live and where you go to school."
In general, those who suffer most from living in disadvantaged neighborhoods are African Americans. Howell believes it is possible that Hispanics have found other ways to break this link on their own, by residing in better areas, though he stressed that because New York City was the only city in the study with a Hispanic population that was large enough to be significant, more research is necessary to draw clear conclusions.
During the question-and-answer session that followed the lecture, one of the most salient questions was what determined those who were offered vouchers and did not accept them from those who ended up accepting them and actually transferring their children to private schools.
Howell answered that the identification of a family's values with those of a potential private school largely influenced the decision to accept a voucher. "People interested in vouchers care a lot about religion," affirmed Howell. "As researchers in these studies we should focus more on that factor and less on race, class, and mother's education, like we've been doing so far."
The lecture was well-attended by students and faculty. "It was very useful to look at randomized data that looks into who it affects and how. This is a very politically-charged subject, and it is always hard to find someone that is not idealistically driven," said Rhonda Cobham-Sander, professor of English and black studies and special assistant to the president for diversity.
Nicolaus Schmandt '07 appreciated the clarity of Howell's speech. "William Howell seemed very knowledgeable and presented interesting information. I could follow everything and it was well thought through," he said.
College students were not the only ones to attend the lecture. Adrienne Lazes '09, a student at Hampshire College said, "I decided to come because I'm interested in education and want to become a math teacher, so I wanted to see what he had found out about school vouchers based on his research."
President Anthony Marx saw the lecture as a positive experience. "I think Amherst students like all Americans are aware of the great inequalities in our educational system, he said. "I'm delighted that we are engaging in discussion on this campus."