Arizona has:
5 educational choice programs | 119 additional resources
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Education Savings Account
Arizona – Empowerment Scholarship Accounts
Arizona was the first state to enact an education savings account program, the newest school choice mechanism. The passage and launch of the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program in 2011 opened the door to new learning opportunities for students with special needs and circumstances. Learn more about how the program works on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations and more.View Program Details1Tax-Credit ScholarshipArizona – “Switcher” Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Arizona’s “switcher” tax-credit scholarship program was enacted and launched in 2012. The law allows donors to receive tax credits for their donations to school tuition organizations, nonprofits that give private school scholarships to students. In tax year 2019, individual taxpayers that contributed to STOs under this switcher may claim a dollar-for-dollar credit of up to $566, and married couples filing jointly may claim up to $1,131. However, taxpayers must first donate the maximum credit amount for the Original Individual Income Tax Credit ($569 individual, $1,138 joint in tax year 2019) before they may claim the switcher credit. Learn more about how the program works on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations and more.View Program Details2Tax-Credit ScholarshipArizona – Lexie’s Law for Disabled and Displaced Students Tax Credit Scholarship Program
The Arizona legislature enacted “Lexie’s Law” in 2009. The program, a tax-credit scholarship for students with special needs, launched in the same year. Learn more about how the program works on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations and more.View Program Details3Tax-Credit ScholarshipArizona – Low-Income Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Arizona’s Low-Income Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program passed in 2006, and it launched in the same year. This tax-credit scholarship program allows corporate taxpayers to receive tax credits for their donations to nonprofit organizations that provide school scholarships to K–12 students from low-income families. Learn more about the program on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations, legal history and more.View Program Details4Tax-Credit ScholarshipArizona – Original Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program
The Arizona legislature passed this program in 1997, and it launched in the same year. This tax-credit scholarship program allows taxpayers to receive tax credits for their donations to nonprofit organizations that provide school scholarships to K–12 students. Learn more about the program on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations, legal history and more.Arizona has 119 resources
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Blog PostChoice in the States: Arizona with Jonathan Butcher
In this episode of our Choice in the States series, Director of Policy Jason Bedrick chats with Jonathan Butcher from The Heritage Foundation. They discuss the history of Arizona’s tax-credit and ESA programs, how ESAs work in the state, and more. Click to listen, or read the full transcript below. LISTEN ON ITUNES LISTEN […] -
Research ReportFamilies’ Experiences on the New Frontier of Educational Choice
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Blog PostDiscussing School Climate, Parent Involvement and More Findings from Recent Survey
In this episode of EdChoice Chats, EdChoice Vice President of Research and Innovation talks with the two authors of our recently released report, Families’ Experiences on the New Frontier of Educational Choice. Drew Catt, our director of state research and special projects, and Albert Cheng, assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, discuss the most interesting […] -
Blog PostThe Monthly Debrief Podcast with the EdChoice State Team – May to June 2019
LISTEN ON ITUNES LISTEN ON STITCHER Our Podcast Transcribed Michael Chartier: Hello everybody. This is Michael Chartier, your senior director of state relations, welcoming you to another EdChoice Chat, here in the studio at the 26th floor of Salesforce Tower. Joining me, Lauren Hodge. Lauren Hodge: Hi there. Glad to be here this afternoon. […] -
Blog PostBRIEF: School Choice in the States, February 2019
LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Arizona The Arizona Senate Finance Committee passed SB 1395, a bill that would improve the administration of the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program. The bill clarifies eligibility for students living within the attendance boundary of a low-performing district school, clarifies that students are eligible to receive an ESA to enroll in kindergarten until […] -
Blog PostBRIEF: School Choice in the States, January 2019
LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION Arizona In Arizona, legislators have filed a large number of bills that would affect the existing educational choice policies, including several that seek to improve or expand the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program: SB 1395 would improve the administration of the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program. The bill would clarify eligibility for students living […] -
Blog PostHope We Didn’t Have Before: A School Choice Family’s Story
In today’s EdChoice Chat, our CRM and Email Marketing Manager Abby Hayes chats with Jenny Clark about her family’s experience with Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, the nation’s oldest education savings account (ESA) program. She talks about her sons’ specific challenges and how the ESA is helping them thrive. LISTEN ON ITUNES LISTEN ON STITCHER […] -
Blog PostThe Monthly Debrief Podcast with the EdChoice State Team – September to October 2018
LISTEN ON ITUNES LISTEN ON STITCHER Our Podcast Transcribed Lauren: Welcome listeners, this is Lauren Hodge at joining you in studio with Jason Bedrick joining you in phone for another EdChoice chat, a monthly debrief where we are going to look at what is going on in states around the nation regarding school choice. It’s […] -
Blog PostArizona’s ESA Program Expansion: Who’s Behind the Signature Challenge and What’s Next
In this installment of EdChoice Chats, our President and CEO Robert Enlow taps Arizona resident and EdChoice Director of Policy Jason Bedrick for a rundown of what’s going on in Arizona right now. Arizona has been a pioneer state in the school choice movement in many ways, and this year they expanded their education savings […] -
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ChartArizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Participation
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VideoWhat is an Education Savings Account?
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Research ReportSchool Choice Fallacies
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ChartArizona’s “Switcher” Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Participation
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Research Report2018 Schooling in America Survey
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Research ReportBack to the Staffing Surge
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ChartArizona’s Lexie’s Law for Disabled and Displaced Students Tax Credit Scholarship Program Participation
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VideoWhat is a Tax-Credit Scholarship?
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Research ReportThe Education Debit Card II
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ChartArizona’s Original Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program Participation*
*1998 to 2010 are Calendar Year, and 2010–11 to 2012–13 are School Year....
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Podcast
EdChoice Chats: Surveying the Military with Lindsey Burke and Paul DiPerna
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. This 2017 survey of 1,200 active-duty military servicemembers, veterans and their spouses aims to help policymakers and the public better understand this important population’s perspectives on school choice policies, the military profession and more.
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Blog PostNew Study Shows Public Schools Systematically Favor All Other Staff Over Teachers and Students
“Our children would be much better off if only politicians would give public schools more money, so they can pay teachers more and reduce class sizes.” If we asked for a show of hands for anyone who’s ever thought this, read it in the news or heard it from friends or neighbors, it’s a safe […] -
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Arizona’s Low-Income Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program Participation
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Research ReportRenewing Our Cities
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Research ReportA Win-Win Solution IV
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Research ReportSurveying the Military
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VideoWhat Is School Choice?
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Research ReportExploring Arizona’s Private Education Sector
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Blog PostWhat ESAs in K–12 Education Are and How They’re Different from Coverdell ESAs
Education savings accounts (ESAs) are a popular, relatively new innovation in K–12 education meant to expand parents ability to customize their children’s education. Arizona was the first state to create an ESA program for families in 2011. Since then, a handful of other states have followed suit. But even as ESAs pick up steam across […] -
Policy HandoutHow does school choice affect public schools?
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Blog PostBRIEF: School Choice in the States, April 2017
LEGISLATION AND LITIGATION National The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments April 19 in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, a case arising out of Missouri that could remove a major impediment to educational choice found in many state constitutions. So-called “Blaine Amendments” have restrictive language about state funds being used by religious institutions, […] -
Policy HandoutOn Educational Costs: Fixed, Quasi-Fixed and Variable Costs
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Blog PostWould School Choice Segregate Well-Off Students?
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 has also drawn attention from school choice skeptics and opponents and a flurry of criticisms about choice with it. A recent report by Halley Potter of […] -
InfographicHow a Parent Chooses a School for Their Child
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Blog PostHas School Choice Become a Purple America Issue?
Gallup, one of the most trusted household names in national polling, recently asked Americans whether they agreed, disagreed or didn’t know enough to have an opinion about 15 of President Trump’s proposals or actions. School choice was one of the issues, and on the surface, the results weren’t all that surprising: 59 percent of Americans […] -
Research ReportPursuing Innovation
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Blog PostWhat We Can Do About School Choice’s Supply-Side Problem
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 a timely fashion? In one of our recent reports, The Private School Landscape, we tested the theory that educational choice programs that increase access to private […] -
Blog PostStudy finds private schoolers express anti-Semitism, intolerance at lower rates than public schoolers
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other secular Jewish groups are taking a stand against school vouchers. Given that the explicit purpose of the ADL is to fight anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry, they are ostensibly weighing in on this issue because they believe that there is a relationship between public or private schooling and […] -
Blog PostNew Case Study Research Out of Santa Ana Finds School Choice Plays Role in Urban Renewal
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 schools and private school choice programs might act as economic development catalysts. In their new report Renewing Our Cities: A Case Study on School Choice’s Role […] -
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Blog PostResearch Finds Higher Private School Share Directly Linked to Higher Test Scores, Stronger Human Rights Internationally
With the controversial nomination of Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education, the concept of school choice has received increasing attention. Supporters and opponents of the concept have made bold claims about the effect of such programs on student outcomes and society in general. Theoretically, increased access to private school choice could improve educational quality […] -
Blog PostDebunking Arguments Against School Choice: “Privatization” Drains Money From Already “Underfunded” Public Schools
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 public education system. The rhetoric can be fierce at times. Some even have claimed that school choice advocates somehow want to or intend to topple public […] -
Research ReportThe Tax-Credit Scholarship Audit
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Blog PostBRIEF: School Choice in the States, February 2017
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. The bill is currently before the House Ways and Means Education Committee. Arizona SB 1431, a bill that would expand the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to near-universal eligibility, […] -
Blog PostThe Right Reasons for Supporting (or Opposing) School Choice
Note: A shortened version of this post was originally published on Education Next. We are at a critical point in the long history of education reform. The politicized issue of school choice has received sustained national attention since the election of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. The subsequent nomination of Betsy DeVos as […] -
Research ReportWhy Parents Choose
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Blog PostWhy Shaming School Choice Parents Will Hurt Your Community
I find myself this year in the interesting position of kindergarten shopping for my 5-year-old daughter. Besides the expected “I can’t believe she’s this big already” nostalgia, there’s an element of confusion—even angst—as we try to find her best educational fit. This does not stem from a lack of good choices. We have at least […] -
Blog PostThe States Ranked by Spending on School Choice Programs
You may have noticed a new chart in this year’s edition of The ABCs of School Choice. That’s because we wanted to do something different and look at the aggregate spending on vouchers, tax-credit scholarships and education savings accounts (ESAs) in the context of national K–12 education spending. I took the total spending data over […] -
Blog PostArizona bill seeks to make ESAs available to all by 2020
UPDATE April 7, 2017 This nearly universal expansion of Arizona’s education savings accounts (ESA), SB 1431, passed out of the Senate last night in a 16-13 vote. Since our original publication of this blog post, an identical companion bill—HB 2394—was introduced. The House bill also passed out of its chamber last night in a 31-28 […] -
Blog PostBRIEF: School Choice in the States, January 2017
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 referred to both the Senate Education Committee and the Rules Committee. Arkansas HB 1222, a bill that would create a tax credit-funded education savings account program, […] -
Blog Post
How “The ABCs of School Choice” Handbook Can Work for You
Whether you’re a policymaker or a thought leader who’s interested in educational choice, our flagship publication is designed to help make your job easier. How can The ABCs of School Choice handbook work for you? Check out its features in the short demo below. And don’t forget to pre-order your print copy to have while […] -
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Research Report(No) Money in the Bank
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Blog PostU.S. States Ranked by Educational Choice Share, 2017
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 share looks at what proportion of all K–12 students are enrolled in an education savings account (ESA), voucher or tax-credit scholarship program. To get this number, […] -
Blog PostAmerica’s School Choice Programs Ranked by Participation, 2017 Edition
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 have on program participation. Here, we’ve ranked the programs by how many participants they have, based on the most recent data available for each program at the […] -
Blog PostAmerica’s School Choice Programs Ranked by Purchasing Power, 2017 Edition
We’ve given our readers an overview of educational choice programs across the nation this week with rankings based on eligibility and participation. But one major question still remains: How well are these programs funded? The best educational choice policies make as many children as possible eligible to participate, but also empower participants to truly afford their chosen educational […] -
Blog PostExploring Arizona’s Private Schools After Nearly Two Decades of Educational Choice
The Grand Canyon State is a pioneer when it comes to educational choice. Arizona has been home to the nation’s first universal school choice program for nigh on two decades—the Original Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program. This tax-credit scholarship program is open to all K–12 students and even some prekindergarteners. And in 2011, Arizona […] -
Blog PostStudent Story: Why I’m Thankful for Education Savings Accounts
Who am I? My name is Valerie McMurray My birth mother was a heroin addict and an alcoholic all throughout her pregnancy, and because of that, I was born prematurely at 3 pounds, 3 ounces on 3/30/03. (I think three should be my lucky number.) Her heavy use of drugs and alcohol caused me to have cerebral […] -
Research ReportSchooling Satisfaction
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Blog PostBreaking Down “The Tax-Credit Scholarship Audit”
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 seven states’ tax-credit scholarship programs, which cover 93 percent of total scholarships awarded to date. These types of school choice programs differ from school vouchers in […] -
Blog PostState Legislators Are Listening to You. Now What?
EdChoice recently released an in-depth survey of nearly 350 state legislators across the United States. It’s the first phone-only survey of its kind to be conducted in at least 15 years, and we’re grateful to the lawmakers who participated for their honest, open feedback. Our goal with this survey was to find out legislators’ views […] -
Blog PostHow to Accurately Calculate the Fiscal Impact of School Voucher Programs
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 take a moment to cringe, but we urge you not to turn away. The continued growth in popularity and expansion of school voucher programs makes it […] -
Blog PostBreaking Down the EdChoice “Surveying State Legislators” Report
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 first systematic phone-only survey of this population in more than 15 years, and it is the first ever phone survey of lawmakers on how they make […] -
Blog PostStudent Stories: How My School Choice Inspired Me to Teach
My name is Lennon. From kindergarten until my junior year, I have attended private, parochial schools. My elementary and middle school years were fondly lived out at St. Gregory Catholic School, and now that I’m in high school, I’m attending Brophy College Preparatory. I have many passions. Like my namesake, I play the piano. (I’ve […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: Why You Should Stop Complaining About Schools Marketing Themselves to Families
From the minute we wake up to the minute we call it a day, we’re bombarded with marketing and advertising. Our phones, computers and televisions flicker with the latest deals. Our social media platforms intuitively know what brands we like best. Our brains are overloaded with sales pitches via billboards, bumper stickers, T-shirts, television and […] -
Blog PostEducational Choice and Bridging the Political Divide
At the annual conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) meeting this year, Dr. Steve Perry—a liberal charter school leader and passionate educational choice advocate—spoke about the poor state of K–12 education for families of color and those in poverty and inspired the audience with his ideas on how to bridge the political divide to advance […] -
Blog PostSchool Voucher Systems Across the Globe Make the Case for School Choice in the U.S.
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 in the rest of the economically developed world. Twenty-five Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, a club of mostly wealthy nations, have vouchers or […] -
Research ReportSurveying State Legislators
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Blog PostA Teacher Who Approves of School Choice?
School choice. The term was demonized in my teacher credentialing courses and by my own mother, who had been teaching in public schools since she was 20 years old. Everyone was doing it, so I toed the line as well, but only for a short while. My Ah-Ha Moment My first teaching assignment was in […] -
Research ReportMore Than Scores
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Blog PostJAMES G. BLAINE: Who was he, and how is he affecting children’s education today?
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 country and public schools were overwhelmingly Protestant. Catholic immigrant students were encouraged to assimilate in public schools. Desiring an educational option that was consistent with their […] -
Blog Post
Breaking Down “A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on School Choice”
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 on School Choice—author Dr. Greg Forster says, “Twenty years ago, before this body of evidence existed, there was some excuse for making policy based on speculation, […] -
Blog PostEducation Market Failure? The Cost of Regulations on Private School Choice Programs
An Analysis of the Louisiana Scholarship Program Achievement Findings “The approach has been to regard any market failure, however minor, as a sufficient excuse for government intervention. The market has failed, therefore the government should step in. But this is a basic error, because it involves a double standard. There is not only such a […] -
Research ReportMoms and Schools Survey
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Blog PostHow the Friedman Foundation Estimates Educational Choice Program Eligibility
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 Might Not Be Eligible For [a specific voucher program],” then you have probably taken an educational choice eligibility test. The easier to design eligibility tests ask […] -
Blog PostStudying the Pursuit of Innovation: How Does Competition Affect K–12 Education?
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. – Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, November 17, 2010 States have been charged with doing more with less in recent years, a state of affairs […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: Who’s to Blame? Public School Districts’ Teacher Pension Dilemma
According to a recent article in the U.S. News & World Report, several big-city public school systems face immense fiscal challenges. The leading suspect? Public pensions. This answer shouldn’t be surprising. School pension costs have doubled over the last 10 years from $500 per student to more than $1,000 per student, and public schools are […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: What to Do When Editorial Boards Don’t Fact Check ‘Expert’ Claims
Amidst the celebration of National School Choice Week, Indiana’s Journal Gazette published an editorial calling for an independent, empirical study of Indiana’s school voucher program. That is a fair ask and not actually the catalyst for today’s freakout. One very powerful word inspired my piece today: anywhere. In its editorial, the Journal Gazette team relied […] -
Research ReportMillennial Perspectives on K-12 Education and School Choice
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Blog PostFour Reasons for Preserving the Autonomy of SGOs
Like any law, design matters. The Georgia legislature may soon consider a newly proposed regulation that, if passed, would diminish the autonomy of K–12 scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs). Although well-intentioned, the suggested changes pose a threat to a growing and successful type of educational choice. Tax-credit scholarships are a very popular form of private school choice. […] -
Blog PostTop Findings from the “Latino Perspectives” Survey
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 part of our 2015 Schooling in America Survey, we oversampled Latinos in an effort to better understand where this important community stands on education policies. How […] -
Blog PostNew Research on School Segregation Shows Startling Trends
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 problem because greater integration is, in and of itself, a worthwhile goal for society. It’s a problem because research shows that African-American students, especially males, concentrated […] -
Research ReportLatino Perspectives on K–12 Education & School Choice
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Blog PostWill School Choice Lead to Fewer Resources for Students Who Remain in Public Schools?
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 best schools for them will lead to better outcomes for those children. But what about the students who remain in public schools? Are they harmed in […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: Does School Choice Increase Inequality?
When Nevada enacted the nation’s first nearly universal education savings accounts (ESAs), education reformers celebrated. ESAs empower families to tailor their children’s education to meet their individual learning needs and have the potential to unleash a wave of innovation. Others, however, have been less enthusiastic. Perhaps the most common concern is the one raised recently […] -
Research ReportPublic Rules on Private Schools
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Blog Post‘We Exist’: One Public School Teacher and Board Member’s Journey Advocating for School Choice
When many people think of school choice, they think of programs that help students who live in struggling areas where the public schools are not always the best choice for a successful education. Loudoun County, Virginia however, is not one of those counties. The county schools are exceptional. The district boasts graduation rates one […] -
Blog PostSchool Choice Could Alleviate Worry from New Population Trend
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 population will occur for a couple reasons: 1. Baby Boomers are retiring, and 2. The K-12 student population will continue to grow, exceeding that of the […] -
Blog PostAre School Voucher Studies Biased from Front to Back?
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 and lots of interconnected moving parts. It is a challenge to see how altering one small part of it, say by offering a student a voucher, […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: Does School Choice Destroy Democracy in Education?
Today’s freakout comes to us from the comments section of The Atlantic article, “Saving School Choice Without Undermining Poor Communities,” and it concerns how implementing a school choice system would affect democracy in education by changing the ability of taxpayers and communities to influence public education. Check out how this conversation got started below. Kryten8 […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: Does Supporting School Choice Mean Hating Public School?
Does the Arizona legislature hate public schools? Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts says it does. Her proof: Senate Bill 1434, which would expand eligibility for Arizona’s education savings accounts (ESAs) to include students on district and charter school waiting lists. Under Arizona’s ESA law, the state takes 90 percent of the funds it would have […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: How to Debate School Choice with a Public School Superintendent
Today’s freakout comes to us from Twitter, where we were excited to chat with a public school superintendent who is an active fighter of school choice programs. Dr. Jason Glass is the Superintendent of Eagle County Schools in Colorado. Here are helpful resources to learn more about Eagle County as well as the local debate […] -
Research ReportThe Integration Anomaly
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Blog PostFriday Freakout: What Parents of Special Needs Students Say to School Choice Naysayers
Today’s post features our first parent advocate-written Friday Freakout response. If you’re a parent and would like to contribute your story and opinions as well, please contact info@edchoice.org. Recently, a friend brought to my attention an article in the Hechinger Report about proposed school choice legislation for students with special needs in Mississippi. The title […] -
Blog PostProgressive to Progressive: Scare Tactics Won’t Work
Anyone who’s ever worked in politics can tell you it’s far easier to be against something than to be for something. When I was a carefree 20-something working as the Communications Director for the Indiana Democratic Party, I helped craft and deliver opposition messaging that helped a number of Democrats prevail on Election Day. It […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: Want an Educated Citizenry? Support School Choice
“[The] future of our economy depends on a well educated citizenry,” argued Karen Patton of the League of Women Voters (LWV) in Montgomery County, Indiana in a recent op-ed. She concluded:“democratic government depends upon [citizens’] informed and active participation.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s why I think it’s a shame that the LWV “opposes the […] -
Blog PostWhere Governors Stand on School Choice 2014
With the 2014 elections over—well, almost over—those interested in school choice may be wondering what the results mean for that education reform policy. Although news headlines have been focused primarily on the U.S. Senate, we wanted to take a closer look at the results from this year’s 36 state gubernatorial races given that education is—and […] -
Research ReportThe Education Debit Card
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Blog PostFriday Freakout: School Choice? But What About Transportation?
It’s rare to see truly novel arguments against school choice, so I’ve got to give Canadian journalist Jeremy Klaszus credit for creativity this week in his Metro News article “How Calgary’s streamed schools have devalued our neighbourhoods.” Klazsus is vexed because Calgary parents are choosing schools other than those that just happen to be closest […] -
Blog PostFriday Freakout: Teachers Are Tired of Bureaucracy Too
Today’s freakout comes to us from a frustrated teacher in the comments of “Half of All School District Employees Aren’t Teachers” on Ricochet. This veteran teacher said it best. Public schools have become increasingly burdened with regulations, including additional mandated testing, data processing, and reporting. Often times and especially in Cow Girl’s case, administrators with […] -
Blog PostWant to Increase Public School Funding? Try School Choice
“We need to fully fund our school formula” has become a common refrain in statehouses across the country—including in Mississippi. There is a way policymakers can increase funds for public school students—and it’s as easy as E-S-A. The Great Recession left many states unable to appropriate enough money to fund public schools at the per-student […] -
Research ReportThe School Starter Checklist
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Blog PostFriday Freakout: Is Education a Consumer Good?
In a response to this tweet last week, the Friedman Foundation questioned what makes education a public good and examined how school choice affects it in those terms. I have a different perspective, so stick with me. I’ve been giving a talk about disruptive technology and what it means as we work to improve educational […] -
Blog PostBreaking Down “Public Rules on Private Schools”
“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, many school choice opponents claim private schools are unregulated, particularly schools participating in voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs. But au contraire mon frères et sœurs. In examining […] -
Blog PostYou Can Disparage School Choice — As Long As You Ignore Facts, Thousands of Kids
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, to be clear, author Shayna Pitre cited an inaccurate number that voucher opponents have propped up for years when attacking the nation’s first modern school choice […] -
Research ReportEstimating the Fiscal Impact of a Tax-Credit Scholarship Program
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Blog PostGood Research vs. Bad Research
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 is similar to B, you can cure diseases, create rockets that leave our atmosphere, and design social programs that help people live better lives. In medicine, […] -
Blog Post
Are Arizona Families Satisfied with Education Savings Accounts?
Arizona’s one-of-a-kind education savings accounts (ESAs), called Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, are bank accounts eligible parents can use only for their children’s education expenses, current or future. The Arizona Department of Education issues parents debit cards loaded with funds, which amount to about 90 percent of what the state has already reserved for that child in […] -
Research ReportThe Way of the Future
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Research ReportUnderfunded Teacher Pension Plans
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Regulations on Arizona Private Schools
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Constitutionality of School Choice in Arizona
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Arizona's Public and Home School Choice Options
Questions about Educational Choice?
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