Helping Parents Help Their Kids In School

More than 1.5 million students are heading back to school this fall with help from a private educational-choice program, according to the article. It presents the figure as evidence of how far school-choice programs have expanded over the past three decades.

Polling cited in the article says about 80% of students attend the school assigned by their ZIP code, while 35% of parents would prefer that arrangement if they had a choice. Sixty-four percent say they would choose a private school, home education, a charter school or a public school in another area.

Nearly half of K-12 students are now eligible for one of 75 school-choice programs operating across 34 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Nearly 20 programs were created after the pandemic disrupted education. Education savings accounts, vouchers and tax-credit scholarships can help families pay for private-school tuition, tutoring, special-needs services and other education costs.

The article also points to a federal tax credit scheduled for 2027. It says the credit will encourage donations to scholarship-granting organizations, and that more than 83% of students meet the income requirement. Thirty states have already chosen to participate.

Enrollment has grown in several state programs. Alabama’s program expanded by nearly 50% in its second year to more than 34,000 students. Idaho’s new Parental Choice Tax Credit received 7,055 applications covering 12,561 students. Texas’s new education savings account program has more than 100,000 participants and is described as poised to become the country’s largest day-one choice program.

The article acknowledges that rapid growth raises questions about whether the policies work and what they mean for students, particularly because public money is involved. It cites EdChoice’s review of approximately 200 empirical studies examining academic achievement, educational attainment, parent satisfaction, fiscal effects and school safety. The review found positive effects in 83% of the studies.