SCHOOL CHOICE, YOUR CHOICE
Let parents decide what is best for their children
Arizona's bold legislative leadership empowered parents to seek the best educational options for their children.
The program, known as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), began in 2011 and was made available to parents of children with disabilities. This allowed them to not only use the funds for tuition, but also to purchase therapy services from approved providers.
Since then, the program has been expanded to include parents or guardians who are on active duty in the military, children living on Native American lands and students who attend public schools graded at D or F. The success of Arizona’s program led to four other states adopting their own versions of ESAs – Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Nevada.
It is a simple idea with a powerful message. When you fund education bureaucracies, families are bound by their decisions. When you fund parents, they make the decisions.
Arizona should expand ESAs
Now is the time to take this program to the next level by embracing bold legislation put forward by Sen. Debbie
Lesko and Rep. John Allen. It would make the accounts available to all children. If a public school isn’t working for a child for whatever reason and there isn’t space available in one that is a better fit – either a charter or another district-run school – empower the parent to seek other options.
They can use their account to pay for tuition, tutors, online courses or other approved education services. ESAs are not some radical idea. They are an acknowledgement of the long-honored principle that parents are the best decision makers for their children.
Critics say we shouldn’t take money from public schools and give it to private schools. In fact, we are giving the money to parents and letting them choose who to give it to on behalf of their kids.
The simple solution for public schools is to be the choice. Provide strong learning environments. Put effective teachers in every classroom. Meet the individual needs of every child. And if that can’t be done, don’t blame parents for finding better solutions.
Public schools won't see exodus
ESAs will not cause a mass exodus from public schools. Instead, the result most often will be improved public schools. An enterprise that can take its customers for granted behaves much differently than one that risks losing them.
We see this in extensive research examining the impact of choice programs on public school in Louisiana, Florida, Ohio and Indiana .
The studies show competition improves the performance of public schools when there are more choices.
The vast majority of credible research on school choice shows that it academically benefits students who participate as well as those who remain in public schools, in addition to the added benefits of saving taxpayers money and creating alternatives for parents.
The era of public education monopolies is coming to an end. With the 21st century has come a new era of personalization. Technology has allowed us to customize almost every facet of our lives, from how we travel to the music we have on our playlists to the on-demand shows we watch at the time of our choosing.
Technology changes landscape
The same technology is revolutionizing education.
Students can take an online course in music theory from Juilliard.
They can attend the Stanford Online High School or get tutoring on any number of subjects from the Khan Academy, a virtual option that provides world-class courses.
Many schools are turning to a competency-based education system in which progression is based on mastery of material, not months spent sitting in a classroom.
The world is exploding with education innovations, and states shackled to a one-size-fits-all education model will not participate. ESAs free up parents to explore and find what works best for their children.
Arizona has set the pace for revolutionizing educational choice, and under Gov. Doug Ducey’s leadership, it looks set to continue charting the course for a 21st century education. Arizona lawmakers today have the opportunity to set aside the fears of adults in public education, and instead focus on the needs of families and the direction education is headed.
If they do that, ESAs become an easy call.