In the States

In this Monthly Debrief podcast, EdChoice’s President and CEO Robert Enlow, Director of Policy Jason Bedrick, and our two state directors, Lauren Hodge and Jordan Zackery, discuss the latest

We chat with David Hodges, educational choice attorney at the Institute for Justice. He discusses his new report, “A Guide to Designing Educational Choice Programs,” and the Institute for

VP of Legal Affairs Leslie Hiner breaks down the legal language and shares the EdChoice backstory.

Leslie Hiner, our VP of legal affairs, discusses the recent school choice win in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue.

Need a record of June 2020’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

In this episode, we are joined by team members at Families Empowered, a Texas organization with a mission to help all families gain access to schools that work for

Anna Egalite discusses her chapter in the book, Failure Up Close: What Happens, Why it Happens and What We Can Learn From It. She addresses the ways in which

We share our eight key takeaways based on our May polling waves.

Court rules school choice law violates "home rule" provision.

Need a record of May 2020’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Learn more about the unique programming flowing out of Fleming County, Kentucky, public schools.

In this Monthly Debrief podcast, EdChoice’s President and CEO Robert Enlow chats with Michael Schuttloffel, executive director of the Council for American Private Education (CAPE). They discuss the state

Jay Greene, professor and chair of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, discusses the book he co-edited, Failure Up Close: What Happens, Why It Happens,

We discuss the goals of our new EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker, along with some of the data you’ll find⁠—including COVID-19 teacher survey results.

We share our eight key takeaways based on our January-to-April polling waves.

Learn more about our goals for the new polling dashboard, and get tips on how to navigate its various tools and pages.

Let our state and legal teams help you stay up to date on the latest in our monthly brief.

What happens to a school who’s students and teachers come from all over the world when the world shuts down?

In this episode of the Big Ideas series, we chat with Lindsey Burke of the Center for Education Policy about the book, The Not-So-Great-Society. The book, co-edited by Burke,

In this episode of Cool Schools, Mike McShane chats with Belinda Henson, head of school at Legacy Classical Christian Academy in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to being a

The current economic downturn will have rippling effects on the health of pension funds for public school teachers and other public employees.

Shuttering school choice programs would cost states $3.3 billion.

What would happen to state and local budgets if a percentage of private school students wind up back in the public system?

In this Monthly Debrief podcast, EdChoice’s President and CEO Robert Enlow and Director of State Relations Lauren Hodge chat with Emily Sass, policy director at the Center for Innovation

Let our state and legal teams help you stay up to date on the latest in our monthly brief.

In this Monthly Debrief podcast, EdChoice’s President and CEO Robert Enlow, Director of Policy Jason Bedrick and Director of State Relations Lauren Hodge discuss the latest school choice happenings

Taking a look at the national landscape of student transportation policy, the best we can say is that it is complicated.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, Mike McShane and Michael Shaw, authors of our latest report Transporting School Choice Students, discuss inspiration, methodology and findings. Click here to read

Last month was a busy one for school choice in the states. Let our state and legal teams help you stay up to date on the latest in our monthly brief.

In today’s episode of EdChoice Chats, our Vice President of Legal Affairs Leslie Hiner discusses recent school choice litigation across the country, including her recent visit to the U.S.

By Jennifer Wagner Buying a domain name, launching a website and making a public announcement are the first steps toward building a grassroots network of supporters. They also happen to

School vouchers helped create integration academies but school choice opponents don’t want you to know that.

In this Monthly Debrief podcast, EdChoice’s President and CEO Robert Enlow, Director of Policy Jason Bedrick and Director of State Relations Lauren Hodge discuss the latest school choice happenings

Need a record of January 2020’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

We rank the nation’s educational choice programs by purchasing power based on data in our 2020 edition of The ABCs of School Choice.

Which of America’s school choice programs has the most students participating? What about the least?

Get this year's comprehensive list of every private school choice program in America ranked by program eligibility.

For the fourth year in a row – here are the rankings of states spending share on private educational choice programs.

Keep an eye on these states for school choice legislation in 2020.

We caffeinated. We debated. We declared this year’s yearbook superlatives, including most likely to succeed in 2020.

There’s no better time to reflect on recent school choice happenings and look forward to a new year than during National School Choice Week. As we do every year,

Daarel Burnette of Education Week wrote a provocative piece earlier this month titled “Face It, School Governance Is a Mess.” His core argument is tough to dispute: No one knows who is in charge of K–12 education.

Need a record of school choice legislation and litigation in the states from last month? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Frank Edelblut, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, discusses the fruition and future of the Learn Everywhere program.

By Jennifer Wagner When thousands of people come together to speak out for or against something, it’s a beautiful sight. Rallies and protests are a reminder of our fundamental American

The president of the Thomas Jefferson Institute discusses the state’s tax-credit scholarship program and predicts what is on the horizon for school choice in Virginia.

Howard Husock discusses his book, Who Killed Civil Society: The Rise of Big Government and the Decline of Bourgeois Norms. In it, he talks about the role and importance

As teacher protests continue, we share answers to the top five questions we get asked about teacher pay

No more theories: The data show school choice actually helps teachers in these four ways

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

New polling might point to inter-district busing being a lost cause among teachers, but there are some pockets of opportunity

School choice opponents say we should “fully fund” one system (public schools), but here’s where that all falls apart

Learn more about school choice happenings in this state

Learn more about school choice happenings in this state

Learn more about school choice happenings in this state

Learn the latest on these key cases and how they could affect families’ educational choices

Our president and CEO discusses the journey of educational choice in the Hoosier State

In his new book, Pondiscio breaks down school culture of one the nation's largest charter school networks

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

The president and executive director of GOAL discusses the state's tax-credit scholarship program

He discusses steps toward broadening school choice programs in the state

Learn more about this state's two school choice programs

In this episode, the founder of Empower Mississippi talks with us about school choice programs in this southern state

In this episode, the senior education analyst with The Heritage Foundation talks with us about school choice in the out west

Need a record of July 2019’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

Be prepared next time someone disses school choice in your presence

Learn the latest on these key cases and how they could affect families’ educational choices

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

In this episode, the president of Step Up for Students talks with us about school choice in the Sunshine State

How many K–12 students use educational choice out of all students in your state? Find out in this list.

In the first episode of a new series, we take a look at school choice efforts in Tennessee

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

Need a record of May 2019’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

Need a record of April 2019’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered

The executive director of this organization talk improving the educational outcomes for all Philadelphia students by 'cultivating choice in every sector'

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

Need a record of March 2019’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

In honor of our 100th podcast episode, our president and CEO joined us in the studio to bring some big topics into the light and to your screens.

Need a record of February 2019’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered

How far might Florida Hope Scholarship students travel to attend a qualifying private school?

One in eight West Virginia students has a far commute to the nearest private school

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

Need a record of January 2019’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

The EdChoice team debated and dubbed this year’s yearbook superlatives, including most likely to succeed in 2019.

The EdChoice team debated and dubbed this year’s yearbook superlatives, including most likely to succeed in 2019.

Our team has never been shy about our focus on broad eligibility in school choice programs, but a program that’s open to all families is only as good as

In today’s episode of EdChoice Chats, Vice President of Communications Jennifer Wagner chats with Vice President of Legal Affairs Leslie Hiner about several court cases, including a controversial tax-credit

Learn the latest on these key cases and how they could affect families’ educational choices

How much of states’ total K–12 funds are spent on school choice programs? Find out in this list.

Which of America’s school choice programs has the most students participating? What about the least? In this post, we rank America’s school choice programs by how many participants they

At EdChoice, eligibility is one of the most important factors in analyzing a school choice program. We believe that all parents—regardless of geography, income or any other factor—should have

If you care about school choice policies, our annual flagship publication will make your job easier. Order your free print copy below.

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode.

Need a record of December 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

We interviewed a Florida parent about how her academically gifted children are thriving because of a tax-credit scholarship

Our state team breaks from our normal debrief format to chat about an IRS rule that may affect tax-credit scholarships

Our state team breaks from our normal debrief format to chat about an IRS rule that may affect tax-credit scholarships.

Our state team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode.

Where the states stand after midterm gubernatorial, legislative races

There were 36 gubernatorial races in the 2018 cycle, and Democrats picked up a total of seven seats nationwide.

Need a record of October 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Our team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode.

Last month, the Tennessee Department of Education released the final expense report summary and enrollment data for the first full year of the state’s education savings account (ESA) program

Our team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode.

An IRS response to high-tax states may affect all charities, including tax-credit scholarships. What’s next?

Need a record of August 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Indiana is ripe with school choice, but families in some areas lack access to highly rated schools or alternatives to their zoned public schools

In this Monthly Debrief podcast, EdChoice’s Director of State Relations Lauren Hodge, Director of Policy Jason Bedrick and Senior Director of State Relations Michael Chartier discuss the latest school

Our team updates you on the latest school choice happenings in the states since our last Monthly Debrief episode

Learn the latest on three key cases and how they could affect families’ educational choices

New Hampshire students, on average, don’t have a far commute to private school options

Need a record of July 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

This post is part of The Next 200 Years series.

Our state team lets you in on legislative movement in the states last month and what’s coming up in July

Need a record of June 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Returning to a democratically-elected school board has pros and cons for parental choice

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled that it is unconstitutional for a state or public-sector union to force non-consenting employees to pay union agency fees. Why is

More than three-quarters of Oklahoma families could drive their K–12 students to a private school in 20 minutes or less

Our team gives you the skinny on legislative movement in the states last month and look forward what’s on the docket in June

Need a record of May 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

The potential for school choice is a small, but important, piece in the island’s massive education overhaul

The EdChoice state relations and policy teams get in the weeds with New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and codifying school choice programs

Need a record of April 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

EdChoice’s state team talks about what happened in the world of school choice in March and what they expect to see happen in April.

Need a record of March 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

EdChoice’s Vice President of Legal Affairs Leslie Hiner dives into the details of Montana’s upcoming tax-credit scholarship case, which could be important for school choice programs nationwide.

In general, South Carolina students aren’t far from private school options

Our Senior Director of State Relations and Policy Director chat about what happened in the world of school choice in February and what we can expect in March.

Mapping brick-and-mortar charter schools versus online schools in robust school choice states

Based on Indiana Department of Education data, which public school districts are students leaving and why?

Breaking down the financial state of Catholic Schools and possible sustainability solutions

Need a record of February 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Three EdChoice team members chat about their experiences in school choice coalition building—how to do it well, what can break down a coalition and more.

This post is part of a new EdChoice blog series called The Next 200 Years, where authors will wrestle with how to best preserve the legacy and ensure the future of Catholic education in the United States.

Our Senior Director of State Relations and Director of Policy chat about what happened in the world of school choice in January, and what might happen looking forward.

Check out these maps showing outgoing, incoming and net public district school choice transfers and where the state’s public transfer hot spots are.

We broke down the Granite State’s ESA bill, SB 193, so you don’t have to.

In this podcast, we discuss new research on how Florida families are using the state’s ESA program and more with the report’s authors.

Need a record of January 2018’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

The EdChoice team debated and dubbed this year’s yearbook superlatives, including most likely to succeed in 2018.

Our President and CEO Robert Enlow had a chat with Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week, about the organization’s history and vision for the future.

Need a record of December 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Recent media coverage of Florida’s tax-credit scholarships wrongly paints them as breeding ground for evil deeds.

Need a record of November 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Douglas County School District’s voucher program—an excellent educational opportunity for children—was captured, and ruined, by politics and contentious litigation.

Need a record of October 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Need a record of September 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

EdChoice’s president and director of policy discuss how a historically difficult state for school choice—Illinois—got its new tax-credit scholarship this month and how it can improve.

Need a record of August 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Learn everything you need to know about Illinois’s new tax-credit scholarship program for low- and middle-income families.

This post originally appeared here on the Rick Hess Straight Up blog on Education Week. I’ve probably been to Washington, D.C., more times in the past six months than

This post originally appeared here on the Rick Hess Straight Up blog on Education Week. Greetings, fellow travelers. It’s Robert Enlow, back again with the next take from the

This post originally appeared here on the Rick Hess Straight Up blog on Education Week. Hi. My name is Robert Enlow. I’m an ed reformer, and I’ve been one

Learn everything you need to know about who’s challenging Arizona’s ESA program, the latest developments with petition signatures and what educational choice advocates can do next.

Need a record of July 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Opponents of educational choice worry that empowering parents and students to attend private schools will lead to a Wild West of schools wrought with teachers who lack “certification,” a

Need a record of June 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed SB 8 today, opening educational opportunities for families in small towns across the state.

The North Carolina legislature overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto to enact Senate Bill 257, a budget bill that includes additional funding for the state’s two school voucher programs as well as

Need a record of May 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

This new study finds some negative results for voucher students in their first year in the program, but there’s much more to learn.

Need a record of April 2017’s state school choice happenings? Our brief roundup has you covered.

“There is no conclusive evidence that the [DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP)] affected student achievement.” This one statement, taken from a 214-page government report for which one of us

New Gallup poll finds bipartisan support for educational choice as part of President Trump’s agenda

Need a record of March 2017 school choice happenings in the states? Our roundup has you covered.

If you build it, they will come. A memorable line, a memorable scene. But what happens if you know they’ll come, and you just can’t get it built in

Note: This post originally appeared on the School Choice New Hampshire blog. New Hampshire lawmakers are currently considering legislation to create an education savings account (ESA) program. ESAs allow

Learn everything you need to know about Missouri’s potential education savings accounts (ESAs) for nearly all K–12 students.

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Alabama The Alabama Senate passed SB 123, a bill sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh that would expand the tax credits available through the state’s Education Scholarship Program.

Learn everything you need to know about Ohio’s potential K–12 education savings accounts (ESAs), including what the polls say locals think about such reforms.

Not only will the proposed Arkansas ESA help match more children with the right learning environment, but recent studies show the program is also a sound fiscal move for the state.

Learn everything you need to know about the state’s potential education savings accounts (ESAs) for all K–12 students.

Learn everything you need to know about the state’s potential education savings account (ESA) expansion to all K–12 students.

Learn everything you need to know about the state’s potential education savings accounts (ESAs) for nearly all K–12 students.

A few weeks ago, New Hampshire legislators introduced Education Freedom Savings Accounts in the Senate. The bill, if passed, would set up an education savings account (ESA) program that

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Arizona SB 1431, a bill that would expand the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to near-universal eligibility, was introduced to the Arizona legislature last month. The bill was

Do you know which states the EdChoice team thinks are most likely to succeed in 2017?

Recent research also shows Arkansas private schools have thousands of open seats to fill

Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a 25-year-old school voucher program (MPCP) restricted to low-income students, district-run chartered public schools and some privately funded vouchers. Because the MPCP is the oldest publicly

New research estimates how much the city’s school choice program could save Wisconsin over the next two decades through lower crime rates and higher graduation rates.

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Georgia Leslie Hiner worked with outside counsel and, on December 15, 2016, filed an amicus brief with the Georgia Supreme Court in support of the state’s

A Clark County voter poll commissioned by Nevada’s Clark County Education Association (CCEA), a local teachers’ union, and conducted by Quirk Global Strategies made the rounds in the news over

New report finds Arizona private schools could increase student enrollment by 37 percent

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION There are no state updates this month regarding school choice program legislation or litigation developments.   IN OTHER NEWS -Although news headlines have focused primarily on

  One of the most important questions in K–12 education is: Who should hold whom accountable for what, and how? Warring factions have been fighting over the answer for

  Although K–12 education didn’t feature heavily into the 2016 race for the White House, President-elect Donald Trump has not been shy about his support for school choice, even

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Nevada In light of the Nevada Supreme Court’s Sept. 29 ruling that the legislature did not adequately appropriate funding for their best-in-the-nation education savings account (ESA)

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Connecticut  In Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding v Jodi M. Rell, the Superior Court in Hartford ruled, on September 7, that Connecticut’s school funding

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION   Nevada – Michael Chartier @mchart1 It has been more than a month since the Nevada Supreme Court heard arguments in the Duncan v. State of Nevada

In two previous posts, I discussed the fiscal impact of Nevada’s education savings account (ESA) program and how it could help the state with its problem of rising pension

This is the third in a three-part series that looks at education savings accounts in Missouri and how they could empower every family and improve student outcomes. As previously

This is the second in a three-part series that looks at education savings accounts in Missouri and how they could empower every family and improve student outcomes.   There

Arkansas is on its way to becoming a natural, actual, real, authentical educational choice lovin’ state. Just like Johnny Cash’s song character Joe Bean, I’ve never been to Arkansas.

Watch the liberal Dr. Steve Perry speak at the conservative ALEC annual meeting.

This is the first in a three-part series that looks at education savings accounts in Missouri and how they could empower every family and improve student outcomes. Where Things

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Arkansas – Brittany Corona @BrittanyLCorona Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the state’s 2016–17 budget in June, which included funding for the Succeed Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities, a

Nevada created an education model for the nation in 2015 when it passed into law an education savings account (ESA) program under which more than 96 percent of all

A recent study led by Northwestern economist David Figlio on Ohio’s Educational Choice Scholarship Program is a case of good news and bad news. To be sure, it provides

Nearly 8,000 Nevada students have signed up for a program that would give them the power to use state funds to create an educational plan tailored for their individual

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Arizona – Michael Chartier @mchart1 The Arizona Auditor General released a performance audit on the nation’s first education savings accounts (ESAs): Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. The auditor’s main findings

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Arizona – Michael Chartier @mchart1 The Arizona legislature expanded the states education savings account (ESA) program by making children who are legally blind and/or deaf or hard of hearing eligible. The state

Maine legislator and presidential hopeful James G. Blaine (1830–1893) was a member of Congress in the mid- to late 1800s, a time when Catholic immigrants were flooding into the

LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Georgia – Brittany Corona @BrittanyLCorona HB 243 was recommitted to be heard in the Georgia House Ways and Means on April 2. The bill would create

Arizona – Michael Chartier @mchart1 The House Appropriations Committee amended SB 1279, formerly a bill for a phase-in universal education savings account (ESA) program, to include only those children

After narrow defeat in 2015, Virginia may become the sixth state to adopt innovative education savings accounts (ESAs). The Virginia legislature passed a statewide ESA for students with special

Today the Colorado Supreme Court delivered a disappointing decision for hundreds of Douglas County students by ruling the first locally established school choice program in the country—the Douglas County