The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, funded by the state lottery and implemented in 1997, has not achieved some of its intended goals, according to a study by ENLACE Florida, a Tampa-based school improvement network.
The scholarship program was expected to improve academic achievement and prepare more students for college. In fact, high school graduation rates fell in the state after 2000, though they remained stable nationwide. Also, SAT math scores declined in Florida after 2000.
A positive outcome of the program, the report adds, has been that its implementation is correlated with improvement in the rates of minority high school graduates who persist longer in their college studies.
