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Bifulco paper on place based scholarship and urban revitalization published in EEPA

May 31, 2017

Assessing the Effects of Place-Based Scholarships on Urban Revitalization: The Case of Say Yes to Education

Hosung Sohn, Ross Rubenstein, Judson Murchie & Robert Bifulco

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, May 2017

Robert Bifulco

Robert Bifulco


The authors find evidence of enrollment increases in both Syracuse and Buffalo following the announcement of a placed-based scholarship program, Say Yes to Education. While the Syracuse increases were accompanied by enrollment declines in surrounding suburban districts, the Buffalo increases coincided with declines in private school enrollments. Buffalo and Rochester also saw enrollment increases relative to trends following the announcement of Say Yes in Syracuse, suggesting that part of the increase in Syracuse might be attributable to factors other than Say Yes. The authors also find evidence of increases in home prices in Syracuse after the program’s announcement, as well as decreases in the surrounding suburbs. They do not find evidence of similar housing price changes in Buffalo.