Despite the recent waves of school choice legislation and the national media attention, most Americans still have no idea what the education landscape looks like in their own backyards.
For our October polling, we asked adults and school parents about their outlook on K–12 education, civic engagement activities, teacher pay, and priority issues in both federal and state elections.
We share some of the top findings from our Schooling in America survey including parental satisfaction, preferences, and views on the state of K–12 education.
In this wave of our teacher survey, we asked educators for their opinions on a range of topics including levels of trust in decision making around K–12 education; motivations for becoming a teacher and more.
A new EdChoice report estimates that U.S. private school choice programs saved taxpayers $19.4 to $45.6 billion through FY 2022.
As the November elections near, EdChoice's survey shows parents trust themselves and teachers most in K-12 education decisions, while state legislatures and governors receive less confidence.
In 2024, the momentum for universal school choice grew, with 13 states expanding programs supported by over 75% of school parents and broad bipartisan backing for ESAs.
With the start of National Bullying Prevention Month, a new survey of American teens finds schools can and should be doing more to prevent torment in the classroom
We asked American teenagers a plethora of questions about absenteeism, cellphones, their school’s handling of bullying and mental health, and much more.
For our August polling we included a range of questions asking adults and school parents about their outlook on K-12 education and the future, including their priority issues in federal elections.
Press Release: For Immediate Release September 12, 2024 For more information or to schedule an interview, contact: Kate Brown buzzbybrown@gmail.com | 202-213-7051 Parents, Public More Pessimistic About Direction of K–12
While publicly reported demographic data about school choice students are limited, we’ve assembled some of the information that is publicly available.
We tackle the question of who is using school choice programs and why states aren't reporting their data.
Our annual SIA survey provides an opportunity to assess how Americans’ perspectives on K–12 education have shifted over the last decade.
In this month’s poll, we re-introduced several previously asked questions about cell phones and social media. Time will tell whether more states will take action to restrict cell phone use in schools.
We break down the six key takeaways from the first half of 2024, including cell phone bans, pessimism toward the direction of education and more.
In this month’s poll, we asked parents new questions to learn about their perspectives on gifted education and much more.
This year, the expanded Bundle consists of four products, each one tackling some of the top questions we receive regarding the basics of school choice.
The 123s of School Choice reviews the available research on voucher programs, education savings accounts, and tax-credit scholarship programs in the United States and organized the research by eight distinct outcomes.
We break down the numbers after we surpassed one million students participating in school choice programs.
The School Starter Checklist has all the major regulatory requirements for private schools in one place with dedicated pages for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, reporting on regulations across multiple dimensions.
In our latest polling we asked a variety of questions about the state of K–12 education including thoughts on college protests, the importance of advanced class options, and more.
In order to shed some light on microschooling from the perspective of school parents, we asked parents new questions about microschooling in our latest public opinion poll.
Host Mike McShane talks with Jon Pidluzny about higher education, whether the US higher education system is still the best in the world, the complex issues of student loans, ballooning education costs, and so much more.
We go over the three major reasons to be skeptical of a new paper purporting that Iowa's new ESA led to raised tuition prices.
This Mother’s Day, let’s take the time to consider how moms across the country are feeling about education and the future more broadly.
Indiana's first Secretary of Education, Dr. Katie Jenner, talks with EdChoice's Mike McShane on how she's trying to get education right with her efforts in teacher recruitment, strategic measures for student success and more.
We asked teachers about their attitudes toward teaching; daily experiences in the classroom; student use of cell phones, and more.
Private schools outperform public schools in forming citizens, particularly in promoting political tolerance, political knowledge and skills, and voluntarism and social capital.
The Homeschool Hub is a first-of-its-kind resource housing comprehensive data on the history, regulations and participation data for homeschooling in all 50 states.
We polled teens and asked their opinions on social media and cell phone use, absenteeism, school safety, and much more.
In addition to questions looking at school choice policies, we also asked the general public and parents about topics like absenteeism, tutoring, and much more.
We asked parents a set of questions ranging from their thoughts on sexually explicit books, to instilling patriotism, to LGBTQ issues in the classroom.
We go over our monthly polling results for the last few months and highlight all the most interesting trends and data.
February polling data suggests a shadow remains over the classroom, even as we head into spring. The mood of Americans, including school parents, toward the direction of K-12 education dropped significantly last month.
We dive into the findings of our new report "What Do Parents Want? Information, Choices, and Constraints."
EdChoice tracks every private school choice program and student participation in those programs nationally. In this annual post, we rank all of those programs by participation counts, current at the time of this writing.
We dive into the new book Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College by Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane.
We share insights from our polling of Black parents to provide provide a clear understanding of the unique perspectives and experiences of Black families about and within K-12 education.
We rank which school choice programs provide access to the most students.
We asked parents why they chose their child’s school. Among district school parents, the most common reason for choosing one school over another is location (56%). We look at this and more in our monthly poll!
The School Choice Calculator allows users to design an ESA program for any state and provides a range of estimates for the fiscal effects of an education savings account (ESA) program on state and local taxpayers combined.
We reveal how much money states spend on private school choice programs as a share of the total amount of money states spend on current K-12 education altogether.
The EdChoice Share tracks states’ proportion of K-12 students enrolled in an education savings account (ESA), voucher, tax-credit ESA, or tax-credit scholarship program.
Where exactly are Georgia private schools located? Which communities have private schools, and which don’t? How quickly can families in the Peach State transport their children to private school options?
Paul DiPerna, Vice President of Research and Innovation joined C-SPAN and discussed the unprecedented momentum around educational choice.
Many K–12 students are still staying home at alarming levels, and EdChoice polling sheds light on which students are missing the most school and why.
What does 2023 reveal about the state of education in the United States? We recap all the surprising findings from our 2023 polling.
In this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane is joined by John Kristof and Alli Aldis to talk about EdChoice's monthly and semi-annual polling and what it reveals about the state of education in the United States.
In this episode of EdChoice Chats host Marty Lueken digs into his new report which explores hold harmless funding.
We dig into our new report which explores hold harmless funding; declining enrollment protections and funding guarantees.
In this edition of EdChoice Chats, we talk about our polling results with new questions about academic programs and education technology.
EdChoice CEO Robert Enlow talks with Colyn Ritter and Marc LeBlond about the 2024 edition of The ABCs of School Choice. Click here to order your 2024 copy for free!
The ABCs of School Choice remains the most-cited school choice resource by lawmakers across the country, serving as the best data-rich, comprehensive guide to every private school choice program in America
We asked a range of questions focused on K-12 education, including our usual monitoring of public opinion toward school choice options. In this month’s poll, we also introduced new questions about gifted academic programs and education technology
On this edition of EdChoice Chats, we talk about the recent EdChoice teacher polling, students’ social media use, absenteeism, and more.
In our new teacher survey we cover topics including students’ social media use, absenteeism, classroom disruptions, and more.
In this edition of EdChoice Chats, we talk about the September 2023 monthly polling data and what concerns are on parents' minds.
What concerns are at the forefront of parents’ minds in these early days of the 2023-24 academic year? The first challenge for today’s school parents may be keeping students in the classroom and off their phones.
In this edition of EdChoice Chats, Mike McShane talks with John Kristof about his new paper Surfing the Pipeline: Understanding Pathways into Teaching in Alternative Models of Schooling. They
We dive into the the emerging models of Microschools, hybrid homeschools, online schools, and homeschool co-operatives.
This week, we explore the data to better understand Hispanic Parents’ views on educational choice policies.
In this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Colyn Ritter to dive into our most recent survey of American teens.
Use of Chat GPT, absenteeism, post-graduation plans among teens explored in new national poll
We dive into our August poll where we asked parents what traits they value most in teachers, and so much more.
We dive into how parents receive information about their child’s schooling and do they find these information sources trustworthy?
Mike McShane talks with the author of The Three Languages of School Choice, John Kristof, as well as Neal McCluskey, and Gerard Robinson.
The Three Languages of School Choice is a starting point for the next wave of educational freedom. For education freedom to truly take hold in the United States, the school choice movement must reclaim its politically multilingual roots and adapt them for today’s political age.
How are schools growing their numbers in staff members without growing the same number in students? Ben Scafidi joins Mike McShane to talk about his recent report, Priorities of
This blog presents a brief summary of the employment priorities of state and local governments in the United States from fiscal year (FY) 1994 to FY 2022.
“Where do you typically receive information about K-12 education?” The EdChoice Research team asked that question and many others to America’s public and school parents. Listen today to find
INDIANAPOLIS, IN— As families finish up back-to-school shopping and American children head off for the 2023-24 school year, parents say they’re more pessimistic about the direction of K-12 education.
Mike McShane, Colyn Ritter, and John Kristof talk about what’s inside Schooling in America, including the data that stood out to them the most.
Our annual report, Schooling in America is here! In this article, you can find the top 10 takeaways from our research and polling.
Results from our June survey are here and we've put together the key takeaways.
Members of the EdChoice team discuss the recent publication, The 123s of School Choice, an in-depth review of the available research on private school choice programs in America.
EdChoice team members discuss the new question added to the poll about a four day school week while also reflecting on the past school year.
The 123s of School Choice–2023 Edition
Our own team member and former elementary school teacher, Margo Foster joins the podcast to discuss the results from this month's teacher survey.
Topics including Chat GPT, teacher preparation, school safety, and more explored in latest national poll.
Highschool Senior Patrick McGrath joins EdChoice team members, John Kristof and Colyn Ritter, to discuss the findings from the latest survey on teenagers today.
Back at it again with another monthly tracker are EdChoice team members, Mike McShane, Colyn Ritter, and John Kristof, sharing results from the latest tracking poll fielded in April.
In our recent survey, parents with school-aged children report higher satisfaction with family relationships and general wellbeing while also feeling more hopeful about the future compared to those without children.
Indianapolis, IN—A new survey of American teens finds less than half have heard at least some about ChatGPT, and less than one-third have put the AI platform to use.
Use of Chat GTP, desired support from schools, hope for the future, and more explored in national poll Indianapolis, IN—A new survey of American teens finds their mental health,
Use of ChatGPT, desired support from schools, hope for the future, and more explored in national poll
For this episode of EdChoice Chats, Mike McShane is on the other side of the microphone talking about his new research report “Surveying Educational Entrepreneurs: The Headwinds and Tailwinds
Whether they are opening new schools, creating new curriculum or recruiting educators, educational entrepreneurs face many barriers to success. This new survey report shines a light on what and how influential those barriers are.
The three musketeers of tracker polling, Mike McShane, Colyn Ritter, and John Kristof share compelling numbers from our recent polling with American school parents. One celebratory number is the
A recent nationally representative survey revealed Black parents' thoughts on topics ranging from post-pandemic learning, to what they value most in their children’s academic careers, to changes they’d like to see moving forward. Discussed at SXSW EDU 2023, a panel of leaders in the Black education community review the results and the broader issues Black students face in school.
To learn more about inter-district open enrollment policies and how they can affect students and school leaders, EdChoice partnered with Hanover Research to conduct a series of research projects. We share the key highlights and policy recommendations this new report.
EdChoice team members Mike McShane, John Kristof and Colyn Ritter go over the results that stood out the most from this month’s public opinion tracker.
Black parents believe core academic subjects are extremely important for students in Kindergarten through eighth grade, and prioritize independent thinking and core subject for high schoolers, a just-released national
In this report we gauged Black Parents’ views on the direction of K-12 education.
Learn about the top 7 takeaways from our February public opinion tracker here! We continue to dive into microschooling and added a new question about gifted, talented, and honors classes.
The February monthly tracker is here featuring our own research team discussing numbers from the most recent polling of American school parents. Find out what is the “Cleopatra’s Pizza
We added some new questions to our survey that dive into microschooling and communication levels between parents and teachers. Want to find out the results? Dive into the top 7 takeaways from the January edition of our public opinion tracker.
Members of the EdChoice research team discuss some unexpected numbers from the recent public opinion tracker fielded in December 2022.
We rank the nation’s educational choice programs by purchasing power—or how empowering they are for families—based on data in our 2023 edition of The ABCs of School Choice.
After some major wins for school choice, see which programs made the EdChoice team's annual yearbook superlatives.
Where are families choosing to send their students to be educated?
A breakdown of how much money states spend on private school choice programs.
Support for School Choice Rose in December 2022, Quarter of Parents Report Switching School Types
Nebraska families do not have access to the diverse educational opportunities families in many other states enjoy.
Survey shows geography influences what people know, think about schools
Members of our team discuss the findings from the recent November poll and also reflect back on the year.
Expansive school choice legislation reflects the policy preferences of most Americans
Parents don’t really know what the NAEP is, and they are more likely to think their state improved academically despite most states seeing a decline in test scores.
In this episode of EdChoice Chats, our Director of State Relations Jordan Zakery and Research Analyst John Kristof speak with James Franko from the Kansas Policy Institute to discuss the findings from the new Kansas private school survey.
On today's episode of What's Up with Mike McShane, we chat with Michael Hartney and his book on teachers' unions and their role in education policy.
It's the Teacher Survey edition! Our Research team is going over some findings from our most recent teacher polling wave.
Eleven takeaways from the teacher polling wave.
In this episode of EdChoice Chats, members of the research team break down some findings they found most interesting from our general population poll fielded from October 7 – October 9th, 2022.
Dive into the top seven takeaways from this month's general population survey.
Explore the top takeaways from this wave of our teens public opinion tracker.
New 2022 NAEP Scores Paint Ugly Picture. The results of learning loss from the pandemic put scores back to where they were decades ago.
This month some members of the research team sit down and discuss some of their findings from the September general population poll survey.
Explore the top eight takeaways from our general population survey wave in September.
Most school parents indicated they strongly or somewhat favor a system of funding where funding is based on student need and education dollars follow the student to the school of their choosing. That goes for all generations, all political affiliations and all community types.
Top 10 Findings from the 10th Year of EdChoice’s Schooling in America Survey Project
It's the 10 year anniversary of our Schooling in America survey series and the research team shares some takeaways that were most interesting to each of them.
Members of the research team discuss the results from August's general population poll.
Microschools are gaining steam.
People want to know about microschools.
Take a look at the top twelve takeaways from from our August survey of the general population.
If the new NAEP scores have taught us anything, it’s that our education system can’t just go back to the way things were.
On this episode of What's Up, we chat with Ian Rowe about his new book. The publication titled, "Agency: The Four Point Plan for ALL Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power", details the four point plan for children to achieve success.
In this researcher profile, we meet John Garen who is the author of a preliminary report titled "School Choice and Competition.
EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker: Top Takeaways July 2022
We talk with Iman Alleyne who runs the Kind Academy, which features an interesting micro school/hybrid school/online model.
Learn what America’s K-12 teachers think about staying in their profession, teacher savings accounts and more.
For our June 2022 edition of the Monthly Tracker Podcast we focus on school parents and how they feel about how their child or children progressed in the 2021-2022 school year.
Take a look at the top nine takeaways from our June general population poll.
Reporting Findings from a National Survey of Educators in District, Charter, and Private Schools
Mike McShane director of national research at EdChoice joins the show to talk about his most recent paper on teacher's usage of time.
Here are the top six takeaways from our June public opinion poll about school safety.
Check out the top eight takeaways from our recent polling wave.
We hear from members of the research team about the results from May's general population poll, including answers to some new questions.
In this episode we talk with Director of Education Policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Ben DeGrow. He and EdChoice's Director of Fiscal Research and Education Center, Marty Lueken, co-wrote a report that discusses the potential impacts of a proposed ESA program in Michigan.
Amar Kumar joins the show to discuss his new venture called KaiPod.
In today's podcast we talk about the recent teen survey which answers some questions about post-pandemic life for students.
We hear from members of the research team about the results from April's general population poll, including answers to some new questions.
Take a look at the top takeaways from our new general population poll.
In this wave of our teen survey we ask high school teens and their parents about their experiences and opinions during another pandemic school year.
We hear from members of the research team about the results from March's general population poll, including answers to some new questions.
Learn what America’s K-12 teachers think about staying in their profession, school board disruptions, COVID-19 restrictions, school choice and more.
With new questions about local school board disruptions and why people oppose school choice policies, you won’t want to miss these findings.
Sit down with Dr. James Shuls, Dean of the College of Education at Southeastern University where he is the Academic Director for the American Center for Political Leadership.
Digging into survey data reveals the political divide in K–12 education doesn’t actually extend to school choice.
Our latest polling report reveals parents of students with special needs’ unique perspectives on K–12 education throughout the pandemic.
During this Researcher Profile episode, we talk to Lindsey Burke about her beginnings in the educational choice movement as well as her relationship with EdChoice.
Drew Catt, director of state research and special projects at EdChoice, sits down with co-author John Kristof and colleague, Jordan Zachary. They are joined by Andy Vandiver, President of
We hear from members of the research team about the results from February’s general population poll, including answers to some new questions.
During this Researcher Profile episode, we talk to Ben Scafidi about his beginnings in the educational choice movement and his partnership with EdChoice.
Drew Catt the choices director of state research and special projects sits down with Dr. Angela Dills, Gimelstob-Landry distinguished professor of regional economic development at Western Carolina University.
Binge season four of our Cool Schools podcast series to your heart’s content. We rounded all six episodes up for your convenience.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our January 2022 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker.
In this episode we speak with some members of the conference planning committee and hear their take on ISCRC and what makes it such a beneficial event.
As another COVID outbreak surged post-winter holidays, we asked parents about their K-12 schooling experiences and more.
Learn how Black parents characterized their schooling experiences as we closed out December 2021.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our December 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker.
After major shifts in educational opportunity in 2021, here are the 2022 states rankings by how much of education spending goes to private educational choice programs.
Which of America’s school choice programs has the most and least students participating? Our ranking has the answer.
Get this year's comprehensive list of every private school choice program in America ranked by program eligibility.
We rank the nation’s educational choice programs by purchasing power—so how empowering they are for families—based on data in our 2022 edition of The ABCs of School Choice.
With six new programs, 2011 was the year of school choice. A decade later, 2021 became the year of educational choice.
After the officially dubbed Year of Educational Choice, find out the EdChoice team’s annual yearbook superlatives, including Best New Program and Most Likely to Succeed in 2022.
Which types of schools and educational settings are they choosing?
As the Omicron variant began its spread in December, we polled K–12 teachers about their experiences, education policies and more.
Learn how the Omicron variant affected school parents’ opinions on education and more in our latest polling wave
Learn how Black parents characterized their schooling experiences as we closed out November 2021
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our November 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker.
Check out the key findings from our November public opinion polling, including parents' thoughts on Covid restrictions.
Learn the four key findings from our October poll of Black parents on K–12 education.
When states consider expanding #schoolchoice policies, opponents inevitably start claiming that the sky is falling on public education. Spoiler Alert: It's not, and we have the receipts. The full report is free to view or download here: https://www.edchoice.org/ChickenLittle.
In this episode we speak with colleague Jason Bedrick the coauthor of a new report, Who’s Afraid of School Choice: Examining the Validity and Intensity of Predictions by School
Predictions about the harm to the district school system have not materialized in the five states with the oldest and most robust school choice programs.
We release a new polling report that describes the firsthand schooling experiences and views of special education parents during the coronavirus pandemic.
A new, updated analysis of the fiscal effects of school choice is out now!
EdChoice’s fiscal expert breaks down the short- and long-run costs and savings of America’s school choice programs
In this episode we hear from Chairman of the Board of School Choice Ohio Yitz Frank and the results of their recent survey they conducted of Ohio families on
The EdChoice research team talks about their list of the 25 most significant research findings over the last 25 years.
We asked our research team to identify the top 25 choice-related reports from the past 25 years, and they delivered.
Check out the key findings from our October public opinion polling.
In this episode we dive deeper into the four polls we put in the field during the month of September. We break down some of the results from our
Learn the five key findings from September poll of Black parents on K–12 education.
Check out our latest results and takeaways from our quarterly polling of K-12 teachers.
Check out the key findings from our September public opinion polling.
In this episode we hear from Matt Beienburg, director of education policy at the Goldwater Institute, and our own director of state research and special projects, Drew Catt. The
Learn the four key findings from our August/September poll of Black parents on K–12 education.
McShane’s new paper—The Accountability Myth—delves into how public, private and charter schools are held accountable … or are they?
In this wave of polling we ask high school teens their opinions on COVID-19 and the current school year.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our August 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker.
We kick off season four of our Cool Schools series with Christian Dallavis, the Assistant Superintendent for the Partnership Schools, that started in New York and has since expanded
Our own President and CEO Robert Enlow teams up with longtime advocate Susan Mitchell to discuss the past 25 years of the educational choice movement. What are those early
We share our four key findings based on our August polling wave.
Since 2013, we’ve surveyed the American public and school parents about the state of K–12 education, their schooling preferences and educational choice policies.
The annual edition of our Schooling in America Survey with Braun Research launched today. Check out the key findings according to the report’s authors on your commute, over lunch
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our July 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker.
Learn the four key findings from our July/August poll of Black parents on K–12 education.
We crunched the numbers and ordered them by percent of students eligible and maximum participation.
We share our five key takeaways based on our July polling wave.
Adaobi Anakwe discusses her research study into the virtual challenges that African-American school-aged children faced during the pandemic.
More survey data reveals parents, especially Black parents, access to tech and tech literacy is top problem to solve in today’s educational climate.
In this episode, we share our top findings from our second quarterly survey of educators this year—including teacher opinions on COVID-19 and flexible teaching locations.
Check out the top five findings from the capstone report in our homeschooling trilogy.
Learn the five key findings from our poll of Black parents on K-12 education.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our June 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
A new analysis of education polling shows that, at least with respect to education, opinions are reasonably consistent.
We share our top findings from our second quarterly survey of educators this year.
We share our five key takeaways based on our June polling wave.
We share the biggest takeaways from our recent polling of Black American parents.
Working with Hanover Research, we conducted six focus groups of parents, three with homeschooling parents and three with non-homeschooling parents but who identified that they had in some way personalized their child’s learning over the last year.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our May 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
We share our five key takeaways based on our May polling wave.
Learn why families homeschool, the obstacles they face and more in this new survey report.
If you’re reading this, you’re on our new website! Here’s what’s new and improved.
We share the biggest takeaways from our recent polling of Black parents, including that they support three major school choice policies more than white parents.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our April 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
What does the local public school in your community spend per-student? A new tech tool developed by Lincoln Studio in partnership with EdChoice can give you an answer.
A few authors of our annual report, The 123s of School Choice, discuss what you’ll find in this year’s edition. Click here to view the fully digital report.
We share our 10 key takeaways based on our April polling wave.
We’ve got a new one-stop shop for our most popular research report.
Researchers from Boston University and the University of Arkansas released a new study of Florida families’ experiences with two of the state’s private school choice programs.
In the latest wave of our monthly Public Opinion Tracker, we obtained completed surveys from 400 Black parents of school-aged children.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our March 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
We knew parents liked microschools. It turns out teachers might be even more excited
In our recent Public Opinion Tracker Deep Dive, we asked teenagers about mental health since the start of the pandemic, social issues they care about and more. Click here to
In our recent Public Opinion Tracker Deep Dive, we asked teenagers about mental health since the start of the pandemic, social issues they care about and more. Click here to
Which types of schools and educational settings are they choosing?
We share our top findings from our first quarterly survey of educators this year.
In this episode, we are joined by the co-authors of a new book, A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K-12 Education. We discuss the
Teens generally think their schools could have better COVID-19 safety measures and prefer a hybrid attendance option.
In the spring of 2020, about 5.4 percent of U.S. households with children reported homeschooling. By fall, that number had more than doubled.
As of February, EdChoice decided to increase our sampling of Black K–12 school parents to better understand their unique perspectives, experiences, concerns and preferences.
Our Director of National Research Mike McShane hops on the podcast to talk about his recently-released book, Hybrid Homeschooling: A Guide to the Future of Education.
Mike McShane highlights findings from the report, as well as some criticisms from the research community.
As a part of our Public Opinion Tracker, we have been following opinions on education issues. In this post, we take a deep dive into the questions we’ve been asking parents about homeschooling.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our February 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
We share our 10 key takeaways based on our February polling wave.
Some policymakers in the Sunflower State have expressed concern about the potential fiscal impact of a new educational choice program. Our fiscal expert looks at the data from existing Kansas programs to learn more.
We’re joined by Trish Wilger, executive director of Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education (ACE), to discuss results from the Iowa K-12 & School Choice Survey.
My new book, Hybrid Homeschooling: A Guide to the Future of Education, releases March 14. I wrote the vast majority of it before the pandemic, when hybrid homeschooling was
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our January 2021 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
The state's 15-year-old School Tuition Organization Tax Credit helped 12,538 students enroll in private schools of choice during the 2019–20 school year. And recent polling shows Iowans want to see programs like it grow to serve more families.
Justice Clint Bolick of the Arizona Supreme Court and Kate Hardiman, Rehnquist Fellow at Cooper & Kirk, join us to discuss their latest book, Unshackled: Freeing America’s K–12 Education
We share our key takeaways based on our January polling wave.
As we do every year, the EdChoice team got together to vote on yearbook superlative categories, such as Most Empowering, Biggest Setback and our newest recognition, Most Choice-y State,
Which of America’s school choice programs has the most students participating? What about the least?
For the fifth year in a row, here are the rankings of states spending share on private educational choice programs.
Get this year's comprehensive list of every private school choice program in America ranked by program eligibility.
We rank the nation’s educational choice programs by purchasing power based on data in our 2021 edition of The ABCs of School Choice.
We caffeinated. We debated. We declared this year’s yearbook superlatives, including dubbing a winner of a new category—Most Choice-y State.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our December 2020 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
We share our eight key takeaways based on our December polling wave.
In this episode, Eric Wearne joins us to discuss his recent book, Defining Hybrid Homeschools in America.
Kids are encouraged to study hard to prepare for college, but ESAs allow them to prepare financially, too.
Unlike previous years of our Schooling in America survey project, our researchers released multiple sets of results in a chart-focused format. This report focuses on the second wave of
Student stress and happiness levels were among the items parents saw changing from spring to fall, while support for all school choice policies grew to record levels.
Dan Lips, visiting fellow with the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, joins us to talk about his recent paper, “Reducing Inequality in Outside-of-School Learning.”
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our November 2020 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
We share our eight key takeaways based on our November polling wave.
In his latest report, Paul Peterson breaks down what the evidence says about the effectiveness of school choice. He also outlines a variety of action items policymakers can take to
Kevin Vallier, associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University, joins us to discuss his chapter in the book, Religious Liberty and Education: A Case Study of Yeshivas
I think it is safe to say it has been a long year. It feels like more than just 14 months ago that the survey for my newest report
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our October 2020 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. For more from the full report, visit
The author of our latest report, Commuting Concerns, discusses the process used to collect responses, inspiration for the report, and more.
We share our 14 key findings based on our October polling wave with Morning Consult.
Jonathan Butcher joins us to discuss is report, Protecting Learning Pods: A 50-State Guide to Regulations Threatening the Latest Education Innovation. He explains learning pod regulation concerns and more.
Danish Shakeel discusses his co-authored report, Changes in the Performance of Students in Charter and District Sectors of U.S. Education: An Analysis of Nationwide Trends.
Lindsey Burke joins us to discuss An Appraisal Market for K-12 Education, her recently-authored report for the American Enterprise Institute.
Where are America’s students getting their education? Which types of schools and educational settings are they choosing?
We are joined by Ian Kingsbury, an education policy fellow with the Empire Center for Public Policy. He discusses his recently-authored EdChoice study, Online Learning: How do Brick and
We asked teens how COVID-19 has impacted their schooling, what social issues they care about the most, and more.
We are joined by Jibran Khan and Danish Shakeel to discuss Islamic education and homeschooling—specifically in regards to recent announcements made by France's president.
When legal and educational systems fail to recognize the humanity of those they sentence, such callousness leaves the most fragile the most vulnerable and in harm’s way.
Co-editors of the book, School Choice Myths: Setting the Record Straight on Educational Freedom, unpack just a few of the 12 school choice myths you will find in the book.
We share our 12 key takeaways based on our September polling wave.
Matthew Ladner joins Jason Bedrick in this episode of our Big Ideas series to discuss their co-authored report, Let’s Get Small: Microschools, Pandemic Pods, and the Future of Education
Our new poll reveals teen views on back-to-school, the pandemic and other hot topics.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from our August 2020 wave of polling as reported on our EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. We talk about the new questions we
In this episode, we chat with Tim DeRoche about his book, A Fine Line: How Most American Kids are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools. We cover topics
We share our seven key takeaways based on our August polling wave.
In this episode, we chat about results in part two of our Schooling in America Survey, “K–12 Education and School Choice Reforms.” We unpack the American public’s views on the
Learn what parents, the public and people of different races and ethnicities think about K–12 education issues, including school choice, funding and more.
We share the ways transportation influences parents’ decisions regarding where to send their children to school and more.
How did Americans of different incomes, political affiliations and communities—urban, suburban and small town/rural—respond to our Schooling in America Survey?
In this episode, we chat about results in part two of our Schooling in America Survey, “Homeschooling Experiences and Opinions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” We unpack why parents choose
What are the reasons parents choose homeschool, and how do these experiences vary by race?
The authors of our latest blog series, "The Unbundling Series," discuss creating a more resilient education system and more.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from last month’s EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker polling waves, including increased favorability of homeschooling and more.
In this edition of The Unbundling Series, we tackle how student transportation can change as schools reopen in the Fall.
In this edition of The Unbundling Series, we tackle how to help schools and school districts 'unbundle' food services.
In this edition of The Unbundling Series, we tackle what it might look like to 'unbundle' core academic elements of schools.
In this edition of The Unbundling Series, we tackle paying for classroom supplies.
In this edition of The Unbundling Series, we tackle what it means to 'unbundle' educational services and providers to create a more resilient system of education.
In this edition of The Unbundling Series, we tackle funding for remediation programs.
We share our five key takeaways based on our July polling wave.
Authors of our latest report, Schooling in America: COVID-19 & K–12 Education, discuss some of the findings that stood out the most.
In this episode, we share key takeaways from last month’s EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker polling waves.
The pandemic drastically altered students’ learning environments while affecting parents’ views on remote learning and reopening, but experiences differed by racial/ethnic backgrounds.
Educators make mobility decisions based on retirement plans and portability.
We share our eight key takeaways based on our June polling waves.
Learn more about the report in this handy infographic.
The authors of the brief, Pennsylvania K-12 School Choice Survey, discuss the findings—including voters’ views on school choice program types and more.
We share our eight key takeaways based on our May polling waves.
Learn more about what you will find in the Private School COVID-19 Response Survey, prepared for EdChoice by Hanover Research.
Patrick Wolf, professor and 21st Century chair in School Choice in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, joins us to discuss a book he edited.
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.
Learn more about our recent brief, Comparing Ed Reforms. We partnered with Hanover Research to assess the experimental research on nine K-12 education reforms.
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.
We asked nearly 800 schools how they’re doing, what they fear and need.
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,
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.
In partnership with Morning Consult, we surveyed American K–12 school parents about how COVID-19, which we also refer to as “coronavirus,” has affected their lives and their children’s education.
What would happen to state and local budgets if a percentage of private school students wind up back in the public system?
Lawmakers revert to old “failing” schools list while punting on means-tested conversion.
A few authors of our annual report, The 123s of School Choice, discuss what you’ll find in this year’s edition. Click here to download the full report, or order
We partnered with Hanover Research to see what areas have been the most studied.
Find out if you're eligible and learn how you can submit an application.
Students can use the GI Bill and Pell Grants Program—school voucher programs for adults—at both public and private institutions. But to what extent does that actually happen?
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
We share some of the most compelling results of our 2019 Schooling in America survey in the form of infographics.
School vouchers helped create integration academies but school choice opponents don’t want you to know that.
Phil Magness, senior research fellow with the American Institute of Economic Research, discusses the history of school choice and critics’ claims of segregationist roots. Magness delves into this and
Brian Kisida, assistant professor at the University of Missouri, discusses his co-authored report, When is a School Segregated? Making Sense of Segregation 65 Years After Brown v. Board of
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.
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.
Our VP of External Relations Brian McGrath, Director of Fiscal Policy and Analysis Marty Lueken and EdChoice Fellow James Shuls discuss big takeaways from this year’s Walton Finance Symposium.
We present three steps to making hybrid homeschool work.
We present four profiles of potential hybrid home-schoolers.
Hybrid home schooling proponents must tackle three questions to grow beyond early adopters and into the mainstream.
The authors of our 2019 Schooling in America Survey highlight the findings they found most intriguing
Learn more about her mission to support disadvantaged communities and education researchers
The EdChoice team debated and dubbed this year’s yearbook superlatives, including most likely to succeed in 2019.
The authors of Indiana’s Schooling Deserts used Geographic Information System software to map Hoosier families’ drive times to traditional public, magnet, charter and voucher-participating private schools. That first-of-its-kind mapping
Jon talks about his current research projects, what he’s learned from collaborating with a diverse team and how research can be useful for parents and policymakers.
Chris Stewart of brightbeam joins members of the EdChoice team to discuss findings from our Public Opinion Tracker.
Authors of our newest research report, Why Indiana Parents Choose, Drew Catt and Dr. Evan Rhinesmith hop in the studio to discuss the responses of Indiana school parents from
Pick from all 14 episodes of our second season of Cool Schools with Mike McShane.
No more theories: The data show school choice actually helps teachers in these four ways
The 2019 Schooling in America Survey provides gauges on K–12 issues now as well as trends over the past seven years
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
Discussing his journey from academia to the advocacy world
What do parents of school-age kids and public school teachers have in common? How are their views on education different. This 2019 national poll has some answers.
As a longtime school choice researcher, here are my picks for the NCES report’s most interesting findings
Which studies are the most reliable? The best way to get an apples-to-apples comparison in social science is to perform something called a randomized control trial (RCT). Here's how they work.
For National Podcast Day, we’re taking a look at some of our most popular tracks
Our Director of Policy Jason Bedrick talks with the author of this new book
A staffing surge has been happening in public schools for decades, and it's hurting teachers. Watch author Dr. Ben Scafidi break down what the US DOE data say about it.
EdNext survey reveals what parents, teachers, Democrats and Republicans know about schooling in America—and what they want to change
Pick from all seven episodes of our second season of Cool Schools with Mike McShane
EdChoice fellow and professor of economics discusses 20 years of researching school choice and reform
Founder of Kingdom Prep Lutheran High School talks leading a faith-based institution made up of predominately non-Lutheran students
How far might Florida Hope Scholarship students travel to attend a qualifying private school?
Recent cheating scandals have shone a light on funding inequities in American public education
Charters, magnets and career and technical education schools aren’t the only non-traditional options for American Indian and Alaska Native students
Get the rundown on all nine installments of this survey-driven series
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events
One in eight West Virginia students has a far commute to the nearest private school
The authors of our latest report get together to talk about active-duty military families' views on education and school choice
EdChoice Research Assistant Mike Shaw takes a look at teacher surveys to identify their views on school choice policies and accountability.
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events
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
He discusses developing our 'moral ecology' and understanding how students use technology in the classroom to figure out guiding values
...Tax-Credit Scholarship | 20,976 scholarships 16. Arizona’s Low-Income Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program (16) Tax-Credit Scholarship | 20,076 scholarships 17. Pennsylvania’s
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
How many K–12 students use educational choice out of all students in your state? Find out in this list.
Researchers Drew Catt and Albert Cheng unpack results from their recent Arizona parents survey
How much of states’ total K–12 funds are spent on school choice programs? Find out in this list.
This is the third in a larger blog series about liberating education through educational freedom. In his 1958 book Freedom of Choice in Education, Father Virgil Blum stated, “It
This is the second in a larger blog series about liberating education through educational freedom. There is a strange notion going around that school choice advocates are on the
As we head into a new year with new opportunities to expand educational choice for families across America, it’s appropriate to take a moment to reflect on the school
Get a glimpse inside the book, "No Longer Forgotten: The Triumphs and Struggles of Rural Education in America"
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events
The President of Nevada Action for School Choice Options chats with our researchers about the results of a recent Nevada poll
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events.
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events
In this series, we delve deeper into our 2018 national survey data and how it ties in with current events
The new EdChoice national survey data support what many assume about teachers and parents with some notable surprises
We talk with Harvard post-doctoral student and researcher Danish Shakeel about his history with school choice and what research he has in the pipeline.
PBS recently aired an episode of Frontline that reported on public employee pensions in Kentucky. This is an issue that affects so many Americans, not only the workers who benefit from pensions, but also taxpayers that pay to help fund them.
Many think school vouchers drain money from public education, but data tell a different story
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
An IRS response to high-tax states may affect all charities, including tax-credit scholarships. What’s next?
Indiana is ripe with school choice, but families in some areas lack access to highly rated schools or alternatives to their zoned public schools
What skills do private school teachers need to be successful? Are they getting everything they need? Our latest report has the answers.
EdChoice's Drew Catt talks with Garrett Ballengee, Cardinal Institute's executive director, about lack of school choice options in West Virginia
New Hampshire students, on average, don’t have a far commute to private school options
Education policy wonks are atwitter over what a recent University of Virginia (UVA) press release said about school choice, but should they be?
Emily Coady talks about her path to education reform and what she's working on now
Our VP of legal affairs and two members of our research team recap their time at the annual International School Choice and Reform Conference
More than three-quarters of Oklahoma families could drive their K–12 students to a private school in 20 minutes or less
In this new EdChoice report, two fiscal experts propose how policymakers might make K–12 funding more equitable
It’s not all bad news, and there are important reasons why D.C.’s voucher results can’t be generalized to all school choice programs
Learn the definition and the main types of market failure with examples from many industries and an in-depth case study of market failure in K–12 education.
A new study uses the latest student performance and segregation data to compare Chile’s school voucher system to other traditional Latin American education systems over time.
What happened with Jubilee Catholic Schools in Memphis, and what can we learn from it?
In general, South Carolina students aren’t far from private school options
Marty Lueken interviews James Shuls about his journey into school choice research and what he's working on now
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.
A new working paper examines all voucher studies, charter studies and more to assess whether short-run test score results translate to the long term for kids.
Milwaukee and D.C. studies continue trends, but context is important
Based on Indiana Department of Education data, which public school districts are students leaving and why?
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 chat with a professor and researcher in the University of Colorado’s College of Education
This post is the last in a three-part series exploring what the research tells us about poverty, urban blight, pollution and gentrification as it relates to school choice policies.
This post is the second in a three-part series exploring what the research tells us about poverty, urban blight, pollution and gentrification as it relates to school choice policies.
This post is the first in a three-part series exploring what the research tells us about poverty, urban blight, pollution and gentrification as it relates to school choice policies.
Check out this simple guide to empirical evidence and how to identify high-quality research from poor-quality research, using examples from the auto and education industries.
Florida’s tax-credit scholarship program—a type of private school choice program—serves some of the most disadvantaged students in the state.
Recent media coverage of Florida’s tax-credit scholarships wrongly paints them as breeding ground for evil deeds.
Which is to blame for segregation in the private education sector: private schools or our current economy?
Check out this example of Mississippi to learn how these maps work and where the state’s private school hot spots—and deserts—are located.
Two researchers boil down 700+ pages of focus group discussions into this revealing report on K–12 accountability in America.
A handful of organizations released high-quality surveys of Americans on education issues in 2017, and here’s what they found in a nutshell.
Interpretations of what the body of school choice research says differ dramatically depending on who you talk to, but should it be that way?
We shouldn’t give parents choices because they don’t have enough information to make good decisions, but they don’t have enough information because we haven’t given them choices. So what do we do?
Marty Lueken interviews Corey DeAngelis about what brought him to the school choice movement and what research is next for him
In this EdChoice Chat, we interview Dr. Mike Podgursky, a labor economist who has studied teacher labor markets and pensions for decades.
Find out why policymakers should understand what the data say about the power of parents’ school choices before condemning this alternative accountability mechanisms.
Our latest brief, which compiles the results of a survey of New Hampshire Private Schools, had some results that surprised even EdChoice Director of Policy and former New Hampshire legislator Jason Bedrick. Listen to the team’s discussion of the results here.
LA Unified School District, one of the largest in the nation, has some serious money troubles. Listen to this EdChoice Chat to find out how school choice could be part of the solution for LA Unified and school districts across the nation.
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
Drew Catt talks with Dr. Greg Forster, an EdChoice Friedman Fellow, about why he joined the school choice movement, what challenges he sees for the future of the movement and more.
Tulane University Professor Douglas N. Harris gets the research wrong in his response to a Wall Street Journal editorial praising school choice. The Journal referenced the fourth edition of
We discuss a new report called Rethinking Regulation, and posit a four-step solution to optimizing how we regulate schools.
This new study finds some negative results for voucher students in their first year in the program, but there’s much more to learn.
“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
This post originally appeared on Jay P. Greene’s Blog. The confirmation of Betsy DeVos as the nation’s Secretary of Education is shining a national spotlight on educational choice. It
We came. We presented. We listened. Here’s (most of) what we learned at the AEFP 42nd Annual Conference.
Why looking at quantitative and qualitative evidence could change The Anti-Defamation League’s position on school choice
Note: This post was originally published on Education Next. The Century Foundation has published a report by Halley Potter that claims private school choice will increase ethnic segregation in schools.
A new University of Arkansas study finds a link between a country’s share of private school students and the nation’s overall academic proficiency and human rights.
I wish I had a nickel for each time I’ve read or heard something about how school choice siphons resources from public schools or how it will cripple a
EdChoice’s VP of Research and Innovation explains why people should take school choice opponents’ cherrypicked data with a grain of salt.
With homes in “good districts” priced 77 percent higher than in neighboring districts, families need more individualized options.
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.
How much of states’ education dollars are spent on school choice programs?
Shaunette Parker, a South Carolina parent advocate, joins us to talk about new private school survey data and how it informs the local education landscape.
Do you know which states the EdChoice team thinks are most likely to succeed in 2017?
In this episode of EdChoice Chats we talk about the International School Choice and Reform Conference as well as forthcoming research.
In my continual quest to provide the most comprehensive data possible, I have revamped how we look at the educational choice share, or EdChoice share. This year, the EdChoice
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
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.
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.
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
Give the American K–12 education system another participation ribbon, this time for its latest results on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a global measurement taken every
Frederick Andersson, Christian Buerger and Mike Ford talk about their current research, tips for school choice researchers and more.
We interview Dr. Bartley Danielsen about his ideas on school choice’s potential effects on poverty, pollution, urban blight and gentrification.
In 2014, we calculated the cumulative savings generated by America’s K–12 school voucher programs over two decades—$1.7 billion. This year, we continued that study by doing the same for
This year’s report features a special focus on Millennials and new questions for parents.
Some may not admit it, but many of us cringe when a conversation turns to numbers and math. Well, we’re taking it there with this post. Feel free to
Meet the EdChoice research team as they discuss some of our frequently asked questions and criticisms in our latest podcast.
In our Surveying State Legislators report, we share findings from a phone survey of state legislators from across the country. It’s worth noting that we believe this is the
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
Get the key findings from EdChoice’s annual survey of Americans on education issues and more, with a special focus on small town and rural families as well as new questions about the role of the federal government.
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.
We break down teacher pensions—how they work, why they’ve created problems and how school choice can help.
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
Our new research, Surveying the Military, is the first of its kind and methodology to delve deeper into former and current military families’ thoughts on K–12 education in America.
The debate about school choice is often animated in the United States, but critics of the idea may be surprised to learn that school voucher programs are quite common
Sivan Tuchman joins us to discuss her latest research, what policymakers should know and what school choice advocates should do to properly serve families of students with special needs.
EdChoice’s director of state research and policy analysis talks with Dr. Patrick Wolf about his latest research.
To maintain and grow enrollment, school leaders need to know whether parents are satisfied with the education their children are receiving and the learning environment in which it takes
School choice opponents have no shortage of unfounded arguments aimed at blocking parents from choosing the best educational fit for their own kids. One of their favorite talking points
As educational choice grows, so does the evidence proving it works. In today’s release of the fourth edition of a Friedman Foundation flagship report—A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence
This is the second in a two-part series on Nevada’s fiscal climate and educational choice. In the first part of our series, we examined the fiscal effect of Nevada’s
If you have ever seen a sentence on the Friedman Foundation website along the lines of “You Might Be Eligible For [a specific education savings account program],” or “You
It’s time to stop treating the problem of educational productivity as a grinding, eat-your-broccoli exercise. It’s time to start treating it as an opportunity for innovation and accelerating progress.
Growing up, the only things I knew about Nebraska were Cornhusker football and Tom Osborne (which are synonymous in most people’s minds). When I was older, I bought a
This is the first in a two-part series on Nevada’s fiscal climate and educational choice. A common critique often put forth by school choice opponents is that these
A common critique often put forth by school choice opponents is that such programs will divert students from districts, therefore “siphoning” resources from public schools. Opponents of the proposed Oklahoma education
Kasey Locke’s preschool teachers in Arizona tried to help her focus and stay on task at school. But as Kasey entered kindergarten, her parents, Jeff and Rebecca, wanted to
We are introducing a new calculation to our school choice program rankings this year: educational choice share, or “edchoice share.” The calculations behind this ranking seek to answer one
We’ve given our readers an overview of school choice programs across the nation this week with rankings based on eligibility and family participation. But one major question still remains: How
Which of America’s school choice programs has the most participants? Which has the least? The latest edition of The ABCs of School Choice gives the most up-to-date information we
At the Friedman Foundation, our goal for any school choice program is universal eligibility. We believe that all parents—regardless of ZIP Code, income, or any other factors—should have access
This post is your one-stop shop for resources breaking down new research—“Back to the Staffing Surge: The Great Teacher Salary Stagnation and the Decades-Long Employment Growth in American Public Schools.”
Education has been at the forefront for Indiana citizens and lawmakers ever since the second term of former Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration. Indiana legislators have given various education issues
Since the launch of the nation’s first modern school choice program in 1990, nationwide participation in school choice has grown leaps and bounds—by 115,301 percent! Today, there are 59
In spring of this year, the Colorado Supreme Court issued its opinion on the Douglas County school voucher program. Since then, proponents of the program have made headway in
My colleagues and I came across private school management organizations (PSMOs) in the course of our research for a Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice report, “The Chartered Course,” in
The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice team is proud to announce that our foundation became a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research’s (AAPOR) Transparency Initiative
Urban economic development resources are often focused on bringing jobs and affordable housing to downtown areas. In contrast, there has been very little consideration given to how public charter
About one in four children in the U.S. today is Hispanic, and Latino children are one of the fastest growing demographics in the country, according to recent reports. As
Six decades after the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education, many students still attend schools that are segregated by race or class. And this isn’t just a
Hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, camping, rock climbing, mountain biking, fishing, rafting, snowboarding, spelunking—Colorado is at the top when it comes to choices for outdoor adventures. In the last few years,
As the rollout of Nevada’s nearly-universal education savings accounts (ESAs) continues, parents have plenty of questions. We saw some great ones in response to this July article detailing the
Wisconsin has a long and rich history of school choice, with tens of thousands of families having availed themselves of the opportunities to choose by enrolling their children in
As recent polling data indicates, a significant majority of people believe that allowing parents to take the taxpayer funds dedicated for the education of their children to choose the
As media coverage of Nevada’s new education savings account (ESA) program booms, so do online comments—both in support of and against the innovative new school choice program. A recent
The creation of Nevada’s first school choice programs could be considered the “tipping point” for the private school choice movement. With legislators creating both the Educational Choice Scholarship Program
With the close of another school year and a blossoming of expansive school choice programs this year comes curiosity about the progress of K–12 education in the United States.
Join author Drew Catt as he discusses top findings from his Texas private school survey in our latest EdChoice Chat podcast.
Indiana is a national leader in school choice. Hoosier policymakers deserve credit for adopting innovative policies that help families enroll their children in the schools that work best for
In 2030, the population of people dependent upon our most expensive tax-funded services—education and senior healthcare—likely will be the highest it’s ever been in American history. Those increases in
...voucher students and public school students as bundles of data, not the unique human beings they are. Few, if any, parents or teachers will say they
More than 40 years ago, Stevie Wonder sang a plea for impoverished city kids in his hit “Living for the City,” in which he called for the larger community
Minnesota voters like public schools and private school choice policies. Minnesota has a long history of bucking conventional thinking about K–12 education. Most important, the state is known for
Listen as EdChoice Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt discusses a new research report concluding that school choice programs across America have not delivered increases in
Determining if a policy actually causes some impact on people’s lives is an incredibly difficult task. Humans are complex creatures, and the world that we live in has lots
At the start of the year, an internal “poll” among staff at the Friedman Foundation named Nevada the state most likely to succeed in creating its first school choice
Indiana’s statewide school choice program is either incredibly controversial or wildly popular, depending on with whom one speaks. To the former, vouchers only help the rich. And sometimes with the
We’ve helped our readers see how many families are eligible for school choice programs across the country and those who actually participate. Until now, the question still remained: Which
Universal eligibility—that is, open to every single family—is the Friedman Foundation’s school choice policy goal. To coincide with the 2015 release of The ABCs of School Choice, we’ve ranked
School choice skeptics often raise concerns about the students who are “left behind” in traditional public schools when statewide school vouchers are enacted. What will become of those kids
Indiana could be considered the “pace car” in the private school choice race among states. But as any racing fan will know, not all tracks are the same, which
If Delaware Gov. Jack Markell wants to entrust parents to “make the right educational choices for their children,” his state’s voters are unlikely to stand in the way. In
Idaho’s nickname, the Gem State, proves it has a rich history rooted in discovery and diversity. The same could be said for its future, especially if Idahoans were to
The birthplace of our nation is also one of the key cities that became a wellspring for modern-day school choice programs. Unfortunately, Philadelphia freedom is unnecessarily at risk. In
Students transferring to private schools using publicly funded vouchers saved participating states more than $1.7 billion over a 20-year period. Here’s how: From 1990 to 2011, students in six
Editor’s note: Some of the author’s sources link to studies that appear in Swedish. Debate over “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and which film is better—America’s version or Sweden’s—comes
The Chartered Course by Andy Smarick continues an important discussion focused on growing and developing the private school market in America. It is a welcome shift from the “save
Is there a “tidal wave” coming for private school choice, as some have suggested? No doubt since the Wall Street Journal declared 2011 “The Year of School Choice,” policymakers’
This week, we released our 2014 Schooling in America Survey. In it, we asked a representative sample of American adults, not just voters, their views on issues such as
“Regulators, mount up!” That line from a popular western film, used later in a famous hip-hop song, is not generally thought of as one directed toward private schools. Indeed,
“…[I]t may surprise you to learn that in a growing number of states, legislators are setting aside public money to pay for private school tuition – and rich people
A recent Huffington Post article took the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) to task for how some MPCP students with special needs are being treated in their schools. First,
In 1979, there were 9,640 Catholic schools in the United States. By 2011, there were 6,841. That decline has been caused by a number of factors, each of which
…consider the alternative! President Obama has yet again omitted funding for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program in his recently proposed 2015 education budget. Although his reasoning is likely more philosophical
Earlier this week, the Miami Herald editorialized against the proposed expansion of the highly popular Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The law allows businesses to receive tax credits for contributing
The holy grail of research is the causal claim. That is, if you can prove that A causes B, not that A is related to B or that A
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) reported that 39.3 percent of voucher recipients (7,779 students) were never previously enrolled in public schools in Indiana, implying that these vouchers are an
An ambitious school choice proposal is on the table in Oklahoma. Last week, state legislators introduced a bill to create an education savings account system (ESA) for low- and
Centralization in public schools through school district consolidation was pitched as a way to save administrative costs in American public schools. Instead, public school administration has mirrored the trend
Milton Friedman said if the traditional public schools are as good as its defenders claim, they shouldn’t be afraid of competition. In a similar vein, some school choice supporters
Despite the message of those adorable AT&T commercials that “more is better,” there is evidence to the contrary regarding money for public schools. In a little-discussed report, issued by the
Yesterday education historian Diane Ravitch recognized the Friedman Foundation’s research on her blog, specifically our new survey showing where Americans rank the efficaciousness of seven education reforms. However, I
A new Friedman Foundation report released today found what education reforms were most popular, in terms of their perceived effectiveness, among surveyed adults. The graphic below shows where Americans
In a new Friedman Foundation report, I used survey data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) to examine several specific questions about public opinion and support for school
Historically, American public school districts have been governed by locally appointed or elected school boards, and families (mostly) have been free to live in whatever school district they wished.
In “Spinning America’s Report Card,” Paul E. Peterson and Eric A. Hanushek wrote “…progress for American children came to a halt when the Obama administration stopped focusing on student
Rhode Island is a blue state when it comes to legislative politics. A very, very blue state. In presidential elections since 1928, Rhode Island has voted Republican just four
American education would be far better off if, instead of asking that question, more school leaders asked “What’s so wrong with my school that makes parents want to leave?”