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Key Findings
1. Today there are 76 different school choice programs offered in 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
2. School choice programs improve academic outcomes for program participants and for students in the public schools.
3. School choice does not drain money from public schools; states that allow choice also increased funding to the public schools.
4. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled recently private school choice does not violate the constitution.
5. Research shows school choice programs do not threaten the independence of homeschooling families.
6. School choice is now a normal, non-controversial part of a modern public education system in most states.
Introduction
The term “school choice” refers to public policies that offer families options for accessing a range of publicly-funded educational services, including online programs, individual tutoring, home-based learning materials and private schools.
School choice programs provide parents who ask for it direct public assistance in seeking alternatives to learning, rather than the old model of assigning a child to a traditional public school based on zip code. Although the dollar amount provided is typically less than per-student funding in traditional schools, for many families the sacrifice is worth it to gain access to a high-quality education for their children.
At the same time, school choice programs face strong political opposition from powerful unions, public school administrators, elected officials and other interests that benefit from the traditional zip-code-based system. Opponents of school choice commonly make six objections in their effort to discourage parents from asking about or enrolling in programs that provide more learning choices.
This paper gives a brief summary of current school choice programs, reviews the six main objections made by school choice opponents, and provides fact-based information showing how these common objections are false.
