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Moving in the Right Direction

School Choice Options Empower Parents

Each year, countless parents have no choice but to send their children to broken schools. For many students, their likelihood for success is contingent upon their zip code, not their unique needs and abilities. Fortunately, there are educational opportunities that offer a promising alternative. By empowering parents with access to innovative options – online, private, charter, homeschool, and dual-enrollment – school choice is providing more children a chance to succeed.

In recognition of National School Choice Week, here are a few ways that school choice is delivering on its promise.

  • More than eighty percent of states embrace charter schools. Since the first charter school legislation was enacted by Minnesota in 1992, 42 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to support public charter schools. In the 2013-2014 school year, more than 600 new charter schools opened across the country. The nation’s 6,500 charter schools educate two and a half million students. And parents’ preference for charters is clear – in 2014 there were over one million student names on charter school waiting lists.
                                   
  • Digital learning offers innovative alternatives to more students than ever before. Since 2010, enrollment in full-time online schools has increased by more than 50 percent. For the 2013-2014 school year, 315,000 students were enrolled in full-time online schools, and 30 states operate state-wide online programs. Additionally, students enrolled in an estimated 740,000 online courses complementing the classes students took in traditional school settings. This increases students’ access to a rigorous curriculum that prepares them for postsecondary education or the workforce.
                                    
  • Private schools excel at graduating students and preparing them for college. Recent data shows around 5.5 million students are enrolled in private schools across the country. Private school students continue to achieve academically. An astounding 98 percent of high school seniors enrolled in 2011 graduated by the next fall.
                                             
  • Homeschool student achievement continues to impress. The most recent data shows almost 1.8 million students are homeschooled each year, an increase of over 17 percent since 2007. Homeschool students excel on reading and math tests, scoring in the 89th percentile and 84th percentile respectively.
                                   
  • Support for school choice is broadly based and bipartisan. According to a new public opinion survey, 69 percent of Americans support school choice, including most teachers and a majority of both Democrats and Republicans. This overwhelming support is a clear indication that school choice is working.

School choice promotes the belief that every child deserves to receive an excellent education. As Americans celebrate National School Choice Week, Congress will continue to work on improving America’s education system and providing promising opportunities for college, career, and life success.

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