Editor’s note: This commentary from Keri D. Ingraham, a fellow at Discovery Institute, director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, appeared earlier today on washingtonexaminer.com.

On the heels of a historic year of school choice advancement, including legislation that enacted universal or near-universal school choice programs in seven states, Illinois is poised to go in the opposite direction, delivering a blow to low-income families.

Specifically, the Democratic-controlled legislature in Illinois is positioned to let the Invest in Kids $100 million tax-credit scholarship program, enacted in 2017, sunset at the end of this calendar year. The action will nix a school choice program currently providing educational options to 9,000 low-income students.

As a tax-credit scholarship, the school choice program is not directly funded with taxpayer dollars but is privately funded by people and businesses who contribute through a qualified scholarship-granting organization.

Regardless, state lawmakers intentionally opted not to extend the program during the spring legislative session by failing to include it in the state’s budget implementation bill. Several other bills introduced during the session that would have extended the program also failed.

According to Myles Mendoza, founder and former President of Empower Illinois, the organization that led the inception of the tax credit scholarship policy, “despite daily pleas throughout the legislative session to extend the school choice program from parents, grandparents, foster parents, and guardians of children receiving the tax credit scholarship, Democratic House Speaker Chris Welch didn’t seem to even notice.”

The Democrat lawmakers’ loyalties lay with the public school teachers unions, who are stark opponents of school choice because having more children enrolled in public schools increases teacher staffing levels, equating to more members’ dues into union coffers, and who spend millions of dollars fueling Democratic political campaigns every year.

It’s a vicious funding cycle, with Democrat politicians and teachers union leaders pledging unwavering allegiance to each other in this quid pro quo relationship. Clearly, the importance of providing low-income students an opportunity to receive a better education pales in comparison.

But there was another reason the teachers unions pressured Illinois’ Democratic lawmakers to ensure the school choice program ends: The program shed a glaring light on the magnitude of parents seeking to free their children from the failing union-controlled Illinois public schools.

According to test data released by the Illinois State Board of Education, a startling 70% of Illinois public school students fail to read at grade level, and 75% fail to meet proficiency in math.

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A new study from a professor of economics in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky finds positive correlation between states’ K-12 student achievement and their education choice policies.

According to the paper, “Enhancing economic freedom via school choice and competition: Have state laws been enabling enough to generate broad-based effects?” released in early May, states with school choice programs saw large improvements in statewide test scores.

The report follows a study released earlier this year from Patrick J. Wolf, Jay P. Greene, James D. Paul and Matthew Ladner that shows similar results.

“This paper’s basic findings indicate strikingly large fourth grade reading and math test score gains for states that have adopted voucher programs and/or Education Savings Accounts,” wrote the researcher, John Garen.

The study shows that charter schools produced positive test score improvements, though only if the state’s enabling charter school law was not deemed “restrictive.”

Additionally, Garen found that increases in per-pupil spending correlated with improved test scores, but this impact was significantly smaller than offering a voucher or education savings account.

The paper compared National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores from 1992 to 2019 and to the availability of school choice programs and the restrictions on student eligibility, as well as scholarship funding. However, the research did not include home education or district open enrollment policies in the results.

The study also considers whether school choice laws permit or restrict enrollment and new school entry, total public school per-pupil spending, and adjusts for the student’s race, income and learning disability status.

According to Garen, for every $1,000 increase in per-pupil spending, there was a corresponding increase of 0.25 points in reading and 0.14 in math.

States with charter schools, however, saw decreases in both math and reading scores, but this may be impacted by restrictive charter school laws. States with less restrictive charter school laws, which would allow more students and schools, saw an increase of 0.65 points on the NAEP, the equivalent of increasing per-pupil spending by $2,500.

A statewide voucher program improved reading by 2.25 points, and the education savings account improved reading scores by 3.46 points, an effect that is 13 times stronger than simply increasing per-pupil spending.

Math scores also improved significantly in states with voucher and ESA programs. According to the researcher, the effect of an ESA program on statewide math scores was 27 times stronger than increasing per-pupil spending by $1,000.

States with ESA programs observed in the study include Arizona, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida.

Here are some additional findings:

• Spending more money on schools was negatively correlated in math and reading for Black students, but positive for low-income students in general.
• States with less-restrictive charter school laws had a very strong positive impact on math and reading for both Black and low-income students.
• Vouchers and education savings accounts were also correlated with large math and reading score increases for both Black and low-income students.

According to Garen, vouchers and education savings accounts were better funded than tax credit scholarships but funded less than traditional public schools.

“Such programs,” the research concludes, “are associated with large improvements in Grade 4 reading and math NAEP test scores and are much bigger than the effect of school funding. Moreover, they are associated with lower school costs, implying a double dividend of better outcomes at lower cost.”

The report was published May 1.

PINELLAS PARK – David Facey remembers sitting in his Language Arts class last year hoping for salvation. Hoping someone would pull the fire alarm. Drastic, yes, but anything to bring class to an end.

The other students were nearly finished with their writing assignment. David had written only three words.

His teacher noticed. She wasn’t happy.

“David, what’s wrong with you?” she asked. “You need to concentrate.”

David wanted to scream.

It’s not a lack of focus. It’s dysgraphia, a neurological disorder that affects his ability to write. David can’t write within the lines. He can’t properly space letters. It took him nearly the entire class to write those three words. His hand cramped. He had a headache. He could no longer remember what he was writing about.

The topic was the ocean. David can talk for hours about the ocean. He just can’t write about it. That led to a confrontation with the teacher, a trip to the principal’s office, and a phone call to David’s mom.

David’s biological mother used drugs throughout the pregnancy, said Betty Facey, who along with her husband, Arlen, adopted David when he was 3. David was born addicted to those drugs. As a result, he has dysgraphia and dyscalculia, another neurological disorders where he struggles with numbers and math. He has atypical cerebral palsy, which affects his core strength and fine motor skills. He struggles with anger management.

“His are more hidden disabilities,” Betty said.

David, 14, didn’t have a problem in school until the Faceys moved from Michigan to Pinellas Park in 2021. Betty learned the teachers at his assigned school were not following his individual education plan. He couldn’t understand assignments. He couldn’t complete them. He couldn’t keep up with his classmates.

And when confronted by his teachers, he couldn’t control his anger.

“I would act all crazy and stuff,” David said.

With the help of an education choice scholarship, Betty enrolled David at Learning Independence For Tomorrow (LiFT) Academy in Seminole. LiFT is a private K-12 school that serves neurodiverse students.

“I would say if Florida didn’t have this (education choice) option, he would be stuck in (his assigned school) school,” Betty said. “He’d have to put up with the stuff they were dishing out. … He would hate school. He would probably not have a chance to graduate.

“To me, to be able to get him in a place like LiFT, which really is the perfect place for him, is sort of like a miracle.”

To continue reading, click here.

Editor's note: This commentary from Valeria Gurr, a Senior Fellow for the American Federation for Children and a reimaginED guest blogger, appeared Saturday on Nebraska's townhall.com. 

Just a decade ago, there were only a couple dozen states in the U.S. with school choice programs. This week, Nebraska has made history as the 50th state in the nation to pass a school choice bill — a monumental win for families in the Cornhusker State.

This passage is not only a major victory for the school choice movement in Nebraska; it is also a testament to the advancement of educational freedom and opportunities nationwide for all children, regardless of color, race, or economic status.

Nebraska’s LB753, the Opportunity Scholarship Act, which just passed with a supermajority from the Unicameral Legislature, establishes a tax-credit scholarship that will help more than ten thousand students attend a non-public school of their choice.

Scholarships will average around $9,000 per student, depending on the needs of the family and tuition costs.

The Opportunity Scholarships Act will give first priority to students living in poverty, students with exceptional needs, those who experienced bullying, are in the foster system or are in military families, and children denied enrollment into another public school.

With the goal of empowering families, passing school choice in Nebraska was the right thing to do. As a Hispanic education advocate, I am fighting for my community to overcome inequality in education. A high-quality education is one of the only paths to success for children living in poverty.

A quality K-12 education is a path to economic progress and opportunity, preparing students for college and successful careers, and school choice will always be part of the solution since the traditional system of education will never fit all the individual needs of students and families.

To continue reading, click here.

Editor’s note: This commentary from Jason Bedrick, a research fellow with The Heritage Foundation's Center for Education Policy, appeared Tuesday on dailysignal.com.

The momentum for school choice is continuing to build nationwide.

Eight states have enacted new education choice policies or have expanded existing ones so far this year, including Indiana, Montana, and South Carolina earlier this month alone.

Of the eight, four states—Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, and Utah—enacted school choice policies that will be available to all K-12 students, joining Arizona and West Virginia in making every child eligible for education savings accounts or ESA-like policies that allow families to choose the learning environments that align with their values and work best for their children.

Indiana came close by expanding eligibility for its voucher and tax-credit scholarship policies to about 97% of K-12 students statewide. South Carolina’s new ESA is limited to low- and middle-income families, while Montana’s new ESA will expand education options for students with special needs.

More states have adopted robust education choice policies this year than ever before—and several state legislatures are still in session. This week, three state legislatures are making progress toward adopting new education choice policies or significantly expanding existing ones.

New Hampshire

This week, the New Hampshire state Senate will vote on a bill to raise the income-eligibility threshold for the state’s Education Freedom Accounts from 300% of the federal poverty line to 350% (about $97,000 for a families of four).

According to EdChoice, nearly 45% of Granite State families would be eligible. The bill has already passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the Senate Education Committee.

More than 3,000 students are currently enrolled in the program, which is nearly 2% of the approximately 165,000 K-12 students statewide.

“Half of the children enrolled are living below the poverty level,” said New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut. “These families are seeking a nontraditional instructional model for their children who may not have found educational success.”

According to the New Hampshire Department of Education, 1,504 of the 3,025 ESA students are eligible for the federally subsidized free and reduced-price lunch program, and 187 are students with special needs. Of the 1,453 students who enrolled in the ESA program for the first time during this academic year, about 400 switched from a public school.

To continue reading, click here.

Editor’s note: This commentary from Ben DeGrow, policy director of education choice at ExcelinEd, appeared Thursday on the ExcelinEd website.

Last month, the nation took notice as Florida fully opened the doors of education freedom to K-12 students in the Sunshine State by making all families eligible for an education scholarship account.

On July 1, Florida is set to become the third state in the nation to launch an ESA program with universal eligibility.

Budget negotiations, now underway, will determine the number of scholarships available in the upcoming school year. In recognizing program dollars would be limited, policymakers also ensured that the new law guarantees students from households at the lower end of the spectrum are near the front of the line.

An additional feature of the Sunshine State’s enhanced ESA program will soon benefit many families that receive a scholarship: choice navigation. Florida parents will have the option to use some of their ESA funds for a credentialed consultant, known as a choice navigator, who can help them choose the most effective curricula, academic programming or support services for their child.

Similarly, the state’s education department has been charged with developing an online portal that will be able to recommend specific schools and other resources based on a student’s needs and interests.

The wealth of options unlocked by ESAs can be a huge benefit. Yet a quick look at other states suggests this also can be overwhelming. Arizona’s universal ESA program has approved nearly 3,000 different service providers that parents can select from on the state’s digital direct pay platform. More than 1,000 options are for tutors alone.

In New Hampshire, the state’s Education Freedom Accounts—after less than two years in operation—enable participating families to use their funds at any of more than 650 schools, tutors, therapists, educational programs and retail vendors.

In some states, nonprofit organizations fill the valuable role of informing parents about their options in various school choice programs. Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina operates a website that lets users search and compare different kinds of schools. In Texas, Families Empowered is assisting parents of special-needs students who receive a $1,500 microgrant.

There’s also a private initiative created by the founders of the online course platform Outschool. The company’s nonprofit arm is focused on helping low-income and minority families navigate the nontraditional path of customized learning through an innovative approach called Outbridge.

In a partnership with the Engaged Detroit homeschool co-op, Outbridge provides a menu of community-based and virtual learning options for parents to purchase with pre-authorized debit cards. Early results show parents have diverse spending habits, but they tend to favor known local resources over remotely accessed providers.

With on-the-ground partner AmplifyGR, Outbridge has launched a parallel project in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for parents of district and charter school students to identify and purchase supplemental services.

In both of these communities, trained coaches also help to give further guidance to parents who struggle with their decisions. This has proven especially helpful to those long accustomed to having limited resources for their children. Outbridge has seen more parents make spending decisions immediately after holding in-person community events designed to provide more hands-on information.

Florida’s program administrators and prospective navigators may learn some helpful lessons from these pilot efforts to benefit families. Meanwhile, leaders in other states with expansive choice could embrace this kind of assistance as a priority. That’s one way to help ensure the promise of universal ESAs doesn’t leave anyone behind.

The Senate version of a bill that would expand eligibility for flexible spending accounts to all K-12 students cleared its first hurdle today on the way to becoming the largest expansion of education choice in Florida’s history.

Members of the Senate Committee on Education for Pre-K through 12 voted 9-3 along party lines, with Republicans in support, to move SB 202 forward to its next stop, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education.

“If we pass this, this will the boldest education legislation Florida has ever undertaken,” state Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville said during the debate part of the packed meeting, which had to be extended by 15 minutes to accommodate all the members of public who signed up to speak on the bill.

Karen Prewitt, a Jacksonville mom whose son, Caleb, has Down syndrome, was among those speaking in support of the bill.

She said the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities has given her family the flexibility to customize Caleb’s education. In addition to his tuition, she is able to use funds for equine therapy and life-skills training. Caleb, who is heavily involved in Special Olympics and competes in youth triathlons across the state, also has his own cooking show on Facebook.

“We are grateful to have that kind of flexibility in spending our education dollars to customize Caleb’s education to meet his needs, and I know many other families in Florida would benefit from having that freedom,” Prewitt said.

Angela Rivera, whose son, James, has autism, said he has benefited greatly from his Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities. The program has allowed the family access to intervention therapies that they otherwise could not afford.

“Every family should be able to choose where their child is educated, based on their individual needs and abilities,” Rivera said. “And every family should have the spending flexibility of an ESA that gives them more options and opportunities. Just as this scholarship has changed the future for my son, expanding these scholarships can change the future of Florida’s children.”

Like its House companion, HB 1, SB 202 allows for parental involvement and customized K-12 education in Florida through the expansion of education savings account eligibility to all students. (The House Pre-K through 12 Appropriations Subcommittee is set to consider HB 1 at 9 a.m. Thursday. The Florida Channel will livestream the meeting.)

However, in addition to expanding scholarship eligibility and adding flexibility, the Senate version incorporates recommendations from the Florida Association of District School Superintendents and calls for reducing “onerous and excessive regulations” on public schools.

“This is not just a private school bill,” said Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, the committee chairman and sponsor of SB 202. “This is for all schools. We’re not pulling dollars away from public schools. There are parents that are looking for another choice, but by and large, the majority will choose the public school option. This is to promote competition throughout all of our education opportunities and at the same time decrease some of the other regulations that are put on our public schools.”

Former state Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who now serves as chief executive officer for the statewide superintendents’ organization, showed up to thank lawmakers for seeking to relax some of the restrictions on public schools. He said the superintendents his organization represents welcome competition, as long as it’s fair.

“This bill levels the playing field,” he said.

Education Savings Account for Every K-12 Student Florida currently offers scholarship programs for eligible students (typically students from lower income families) to attend private schools that a parent determines will better serve their needs. These programs include the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) for students attending private school.

Scholarships are funded at an amount commensurate with the per-student amount appropriated for students attending a public school. Florida also offers a Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with unique abilities, which provides educational savings accounts that allow parents to direct funding for their child either to a private school, or other educational services and materials.

Scholarships for students with unique abilities are funded at a higher per-student amount, determined in part by the type of developmental disability and the cost of services the child may need.

Eligibility for all school choice programs is currently limited by state law in the form of an income or enrollment cap. SB 202 expands eligibility for Florida’s school choice scholarships to all students who are residents of Florida and eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 in a public school. Under the bill, parents will receive an education savings account to take dollars the State of Florida has appropriated for their child in the public education system and choose among a variety of options to customize their child’s education.

The bill makes several immediate revisions to Florida’s Education Code, identified by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. For example, the bill reduces hurdles to a 5-year temporary teacher certification for anyone with a bachelor’s degree and for those with two years of effective or highly effective service.

The bill provides flexibility to school districts in setting salary schedules. The bill repeals the requirement that a student have one online credit in order to graduate from high school, which is not currently required in private schools. The bill also offers districts flexibility in facility costs for new construction, and offers student transportation flexibility to improve efficiency, while maintaining student safety. (Current law limits districts to using school buses for transportation.)

During Tuesday’s meeting, Simon explained that the new law would grant school districts flexibility to use large vans in addition to school buses to transport students to and from school.

The bill also includes a provision that would require the state Board of Education to review the entire chapter of Florida education statutes and recommend to the governor and Legislature revisions “to reduce regulations on public schools.”

The bill does not specify what regulations would change but instructs the state board to consider input from superintendents, teachers, administrators, school boards public and private post-secondary schools, home educators and others to be delivered in a report by Nov. 1.

Editor’s note: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, chairman and founder of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, issued the following statement in response to the filing of HB 1. The bill would significantly expand eligibility for education choice options to all K-12 students in Florida.

“The right to a publicly funded education is a promise our state makes to every student and yesterday, Speaker Paul Renner and members of the legislature took bold steps to ensure each and every Florida student can access the education of their choice.

“Florida stands on the monumental verge of restoring the original intent of publicly funding education – by funding individual students – so each child can reach their God-given potential. HB1 is a forward thinking and important move toward ensuring Florida remains the nation’s leader in student-centered solutions. I applaud Speaker Renner and the Florida House for their vision and leadership in creating this unmatched opportunity for Florida students and families.”

House Bill 1, released by Speaker Paul Renner and sponsored by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, will significantly expand school choice options for all Florida K-12 students.

• Creates universal eligibility for the Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship program
• Expands eligibility for homeschool students who wish to participate in the program
• Removes scholarship caps for low-income based programs
• Eliminates the waitlist for students with unique abilities
• Transforms the Family Empowerment Scholarship and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship programs into education savings account program, allowing funds to be used to pay for tuition and a variety of other educational material and expenses
• Improves the definition of part-time enrollment, enabling students who enroll in a traditional public school part time to receive their proportionate share of public school funding

You can read the full test of the bill here.

Editor's note: Last week, Florida House leaders announced the filing of HB 1, a landmark bill that would expand education choice and customization to all students in the state through the availability of education savings accounts. If passed, the bill would also allocate enough funding to aid all students currently waiting to be awarded ESAs through the Family Empowerment Scholarships for students with Unique Abilities program. Here are excerpts from House Speaker Paul Renner’s remarks at a news conference. You can watch the event in its entirety here.

As I reflect on the bill we file today, I’m reminded that every single child in this state and this nation grows up with dreams, and as we celebrate Martin Luther King this week, I’m reminded of his dream that every child would one day reach their full potential.

Today’s bill is about doing exactly that and making sure every child in Florida reaches their full potential educationally. And on a more fundamental level, it’s really about freedom and opportunity.

And so today, we empower parents and children to decide the education that fits their needs. And one of the things I’m most excited about is that we currently have a waitlist for children with unique abilities. And it is a tragic thing for a parent to have to say no to their children to have the resources they need in this situation…this bill will completely clear the waitlist for our children with unique abilities.

I think you’re going to see bipartisan for his bill. Maybe I’m going out on a limb, but I don’t think so. I think people realize more and more how powerful it can be. Look,  every business, everywhere we shop, has an entrance and an exit except in our public schools, traditionally, where you have to go to the school wherever you’re zoned for and that’s it, whether that school meets your needs or doesn’t meet your needs.

And we have great public schools. There are many people looking to hit the entrance into public schools…. but every school, like every business, should have an entrance and exit. And if the schools are performing well, more people will hit the entrance. If they’re not, more people can hit the exits.

And this bill in a powerful way provides both an entrance and an exit to all of our schools so we can match people up in the best way possible.

And the ESA component to the bill allows choice within choice, so that you can truly get to the goal of customized education.

Even brothers and sisters learn differently. Some are good in math; some are good in English. And this allows, as we look toward the choice navigator, to give advice and counseling, not dictates, but advice on based on scores, based on what’s going on in that child’s life which the parent uniquely knows, to further enhance and customize that child’s experience so we get the maximum potential out of every single child in the state.

I grew up and went to traditional public school my entire time. I got a good education. My mother was a public-school teacher. Many people will stay right where they are because they’re happy.  But this is really about making sure there is increased competition and always striving to do better.

Editor’s note: This commentary from Republican Rep. Kaylee Tuck, who chairs the Florida House Subcommittee on Education Choice and Innovation, appeared Friday on foxnews.com

For years, school choice opponents in states like Iowa and Texas have gotten away with spreading myths about school choice to scare people in rural areas.

They’ve said school choice can’t work in rural areas because there aren’t enough private schools, and that all the money for choice scholarships will go to private schools in the cities. Then, at the same time, they’ve tried to argue that choice will wreck rural public schools and the rural communities that love and depend on them.

In Oklahoma this year, the Democratic candidate for governor even made it a pillar of her losing campaign to say school choice was a "rural school killer."

None of that is true. I know, because I’m a state lawmaker who represents one of the most rural areas in Florida, a state that’s been a school choice leader for 20 years.

School choice helped elevate Florida from being one of the worst education states in America to No. 3 in K-12 achievement. And every year, thousands of rural families experience the life-changing upside of having options.

I am privileged to represent four rural counties in a region called the Florida Heartland. We’re not the Florida they put on postcards. Cattle and citrus are some of our biggest industries, and the tourists we get tend to like racing (at Sebring International Raceway) and bass fishing (on Lake Okeechobee).

The people in my district are resourceful and hard-working, the kind who make rural communities the backbone of America.

They value school choice.

A decade ago, 390 students in my district used state-funded school choice scholarships or state-funded education savings accounts. Last year, more than 1,500 did.

Statewide over that same period, the number of choice scholarship students in Florida’s 30 rural counties grew from 2,547 to about 8,500, according to a new report from Step Up For Students, the nonprofit that administers Florida’s choice scholarships.

That’s a lot of rural families accessing options. But how did they find those options if supposedly there aren’t any private schools in rural areas?

There have always been private schools in rural areas, even if they tend to be fewer and smaller just like the public schools in rural areas. But supply has also grown to meet demand. Since school choice got rolling in Florida, the number of private schools in rural counties has nearly doubled. In my district, they’ve grown from 15 to 25.

Alane Academy in Wauchula, a town of 5,000 people in my district, is one of them. A former school district Teacher of the Year started the school a decade ago because she wanted more flexibility with everything from curriculum to scheduling to assessments.

What she created is top-notch – and a Godsend for families whose children were struggling in traditional schools. Nearly 70% of her students use choice scholarships.

"When you think of private schools coming into small towns, we’re not these big bad people, corporate organizations trying to come in and take over the school system," the founder said. The schools are started by "people just like myself, who grew up in that area, love that area, and just want to provide another choice."

Our community is stronger with schools like Alane Academy. And here’s the kicker: At the same time school choice has been helping thousands of rural families, it has not been undermining rural school districts.

In the past 10 years, the share of rural Florida students enrolled in private schools has risen 2.4 percentage points, to 6.9%. In my district, it’s gone from 4.7% to 7.3%. That’s it, even though more than 70% of Florida families are eligible for choice scholarships.

Across America, next year’s legislative sessions are just around the corner, and school choice opponents know choice has the momentum. They will double down on misinformation in an effort to stem the tide. But the facts on the ground show choice is a plus, including for rural areas.

Rural lawmakers should embrace choice. Rural families and communities will be even stronger when they do.