Moving in the Right Direction

This week marks the 5th annual National School Choice Week, a time for students, parents, teachers, local leaders, and policymakers to celebrate how school choice is paving the way toward a brighter future for millions of students. The numbers speak for themselves:

• 100,000 students graduate from home schools each year.
      
• 1,000,000 students participate in private school choice programs.
      
•  3,000,000 students attend public charter schools
          
• 95 percent of magnet schools close the achievement gap. 
      
• 69 percent of Americans support school choice programs.
      
• 25 straight years of increasing enrollment in school choice programs. 

By empowering parents with alternative educational options, school choice is playing a vital role in helping children escape underperforming schools and access a quality education. And states and local communities remain at the forefront of this effort:

• Piloting the first private school scholarship program;
     
• Passing the first charter school law;
     
• Experimenting with dual-enrollment courses; and
       
• Promoting online education

To support these efforts and further extend the promise of school choice to students and families, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act. The new law includes several important reforms that:

• Strengthen charter schools and magnet schools, supporting the expansion and replication of high-quality, innovative schools.

• Protect private schools from federal interference, as well as ensure low-income private school students continue to receive their share of federal services.

• Support dual-enrollment programs, giving parents the option to enroll their children in college-level classes as they work toward their high school diploma.

• Launch a pilot program that allows funds to follow students to the school he or she attends, encouraging excellent schools to enroll harder to serve students.

As Americans celebrate National School Choice Week, it’s important to continue looking for opportunities to support and encourage school choice efforts that help children – regardless of background, income, or circumstances – receive the education they deserve. 

NOTE: The Committee on Education and the Workforce will hold a hearing next week to examine how state and communities are working to expand educational opportunity through school choice. For more information about the hearing, click here.

# # #