Programs that permit parents to choose the public schools which their children attend do not result in consistent learning gains and can even further educational inequality and racial segregation, according to nine studies on the subject coordinated by researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Choice programs established in Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, San Antonio and Montgomery County, Md. allow parents to choose the public schools which their children attend, rather than having attendance determined by conventional school district zoning.

However, after two years of research examining the choice programs in these cities and studying different ethnic groups' views of choice plans, researchers found little evidence that such programs actually boost achievement.

The existence of the choice program alone will not substantially change learning levels of American students, the report said. And it added that the educational background of students' families affects student performance to a larger degree thandoes the existence of a choice program.

Only in San Antonio, Tex. did researchersdiscover learning gains among students who werepart of the choice program. Students in the SanAntonio choice program showed marked improvementon their achievement test scores after one year inthe choice program, but researcher ValerieMartinez of the University of Texas found that 32percent of San Antonio parents were collegedegree-holders, compared with 12 percent ofparents whose children were not in the choiceprogram.

"The educational background of families has afar stronger correlation to student achievementthan any equalizing effect from schools," saidBruce Fuller, associate professor of education andco-director of the study.

Additionally, the study found that choiceprograms can exacerbate racial segregation withinthe school system because parents and childrentend to favor schools on the basis of racialcomposition and cultural similarity, rather thanon academic merit alone.

"Political enthusiasm and rhetorical claimsabout the virtues of school choice have faroutpaced concrete evidence of merit," saidProfessor of Education and study co-directorRichard F. Elmore. "We see no discernible gains inlearning [as a result of the choice program]."

These results, particularly those of theMilwaukee choice program, are significantnationally, Elmore said, because it is the oldestsuch program in the country. The WisconsinLegislature is expected to vote to expand theprogram, and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich(R-Ga.) has previously urged Congress to reformWashington, D.C. schools based on the Milwaukeechoice program model.

"The politics of choice programs are heated andcomplicated," Fuller said. "We need to designchoice plans where children benefit equally.