What You Need to Know: Arkansas’s Proposed ESA Program

What is school choice? 

The term “school choice” means many things, depending who you ask. We created a resource that defines and illustrates school choice in our organization’s view, and if you keep scrolling on that page, we provide you with definitions for the many other types of school choice that exist today. To visit that resource, click here.   

Who uses school choice programs?  

In America’s system of residentially assigned district schooling, those who have the financial means exercise school choice by purchasing homes in districts that have high-performing schools. School choice programs break the link between housing and access to a quality education with the goal of expanding educational opportunity to all children, especially the most disadvantaged. At present, the school choice programs currently operating in 29 states plus Washington, D.C. primarily benefit children from low-income families and students with special needs. To learn more about what the data say, click here.  

How does school choice affect students’ academic performance?  

Test scores can only tell us so much about a child’s schooling experience. But if we look at test scores only, the vast majority of random assignment studies—the gold-standard method in social science—find school choice programs help improve students’ academic performance, especially over time. There are a couple studies at the state level that show negative effects in the first year or two as students acclimate to new school cultures and curricula, but all show those students effectively turn around in three to four years. To learn more, click here.  

How does school choice affect public school students? 

There’s a common misconception that if students leave a public school using voucher funds, those who choose to stay will have less money and fall behind academically. Another FAQ addresses the money question, but now, let’s look at student performance. The research shows public school students perform no worse, and sometimes better, because the voucher program encourages public schools to improve to meet students’ needs. To learn more, click here.  

Does school choice hurt rural schools?  

In a number of cases, school choice has been used to preserve schools that had been in jeopardy. A school-closure or -consolidation plan—with which many rural areas are familiar—can threaten to take away a community’s neighborhood school. The right policies can empower stakeholders to either protect the school through charter conversion or replace the school through a new start. Importantly, choice programs make it possible for educators, families, and community leaders to start new schools. Today’s rural schools needn’t be the same as tomorrow’s and an ESA program can empower entrepreneurs to innovate new options. To learn more, click here. 

Does school choice make segregation better or worse?  

School choice is designed to help all children, regardless of their income or neighborhood. The ZIP Code-based public education system has kept low-income kids out of quality schools, and studies have shown it also has contributed to—nay, exacerbated—socioeconomic segregation in public schools for decades. Every study of school voucher programs, on the other hand, shows they help students go from more segregated schools to more integrated schools. To learn more about what the research says, click here.  

How does school choice affect public schools’ funding and resources? 

School choice programs affect public schools’ funding and resources in the same way they’re affected when a student leaves because their family moved to a new district—except with school choice programs, public schools get to keep almost all of the federal and local tax dollars and usually a portion of the state funds allocated for each child. Yes, public schools get to keep a significant portion of money for a student they no longer have the responsibility of educating. To learn more, click here.  

What does the public think about school choice? 

Parents support school choice policies like education savings accounts (ESAs), vouchers, charter schools, and open enrollment at 74 percent, 71 percent, 70 percent, and 75 percent, respectively, according to the January public opinion tracker conducted in partnership with Morning Consult. The majority of Americans support school choice policies as well, albeit at a slightly lesser rate than parents. To learn more about public opinion, click here.  

What about kids in rural areas? Do they have any options? 

Despite claims by opponents, many schools of choice already exist in rural communities, and history has shown that options can not only be created in these areas, but sustained. Students in many areas already have access to private schools, microschools, virtual schools, and charters, and as we’ve seen in states like Arizona, robust choice programs lead to even more options. Rural America is also larger and more diverse than many might assume, and not all rural communities are remote, so smartly written transportation policies can ensure children have access to a variety of options. Further, technology can expand offerings available to rural students. To learn more, click here.  

How are private schools of choice held accountable?  

Accountability is best left in the hands of families, not bureaucrats, and we know that parents care far less about test scores than they do about students having access to quality instruction in safe, nurturing schooling environments that reflect their values. That said, state policymakers have the ability to design school choice programs that represent the will of their citizens, and those programs can include state-based or national testing, health and safety requirements and other regulations. Ultimately, we trust families to know what’s best for their kids. To delve deeper into the issue of accountability, click here. 

Can school choice help students with special needs?  

School choice empowers families with students who have special needs to find what works for them. In fact, many school choice programs across the United States have been designed specifically to serve students with special needs because they often get left behind when they are simply assigned to a school under the traditional system. It’s important to note that families of students with special needs are informed of their rights when they opt into non-traditional programs. It’s also important to note that education savings accounts or ESAs, which allow families to tailor schooling options beyond tuition—for example, with specialized therapy or tutoring—represent the next wave of school choice and can be particularly helpful for students with special needs who require customized learning opportunities. To delve deeper, click here.  

Have more questions? Check out our full school choice FAQs here.