A lack of private options is a common concern among rural Kansas legislators, but a new study suggests school choice will create new private school options.
“The number of private schools in the U.S. has been flat or slightly declining in the last few decades. However, in states that broadly offer
families scholarships or vouchers for private school tuition, the number of private schools has gone up.”
It’s common knowledge that more stores and gas stations pop up to meet the demands of a growing community. Writing for EdChoice, a national leader in the School Choice movement, Susan Pendergrass of the Show-Me Institute argues that the same incentives work to expand Choice opportunities by allowing families to choose the best option for their child’s education through Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).
The study cites a recent survey showing that a private school is the number one choice for 36% of parents, and 9% would choose homeschooling if they could. By comparison, 39% say a traditional public school is their number one choice, and 9% would select a public charter school.
Charter schools are publicly funded and operate within a traditional school district, but are independent of it and usually administered by a non-profit organization, giving them more flexibility in curriculum and teaching methods.
Magnet Schools operate within a public school district but are not independently run. They offer specific areas of interest, such as performing arts, world languages, or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) concentrations.
According to Forbes magazine, more than 30 states offer some form of ESAs.
Kansas has a single program, the Tax Credit Scholarship. The state also offers Open Enrollment. But as the chart below indicates, Kansas’ march to ESAs has met roadblocks set by anti-Choice Governor Laura Kelly, who has vetoed several pieces of legislation throughout her two terms in office, and members of the education establishment in the state.
Do expanded Choice opportunities result in improvements in student achievement?
Where “the rubber meets the road” for Choice is what effect it has on student achievement. The top three states in participation of Choice programs are Florida, Arizona and Ohio, and Wisconsin’s ESA program is the oldest in the nation at 35 years. What about these four states?
Matthew Chingos, David Figlio, and Krzysztof Karbownik found that Ohio’s voucher students:
“Were substantially more likely to enroll in college than students who remained in public schools (64 versus 48 percent). The differences in college enrollment were especially large at four-year colleges (45 versus 30 percent) and selective colleges (29 versus 19 percent). The enrollment impacts were strongest for male students, Black students, students with below-median test scores before leaving public school, and students from the lowest-income families.”
In Florida, research shows competitive pressure provided by School Choice alternatives has resulted in improvements in public schools with less absenteeism and suspensions, and higher test scores in reading and math.
And in Wisconsin:
“Wisconsin choice students perform better despite being financed at 70% of the average public school cost,” said Nicholas Kelly, President of School Choice Wisconsin. “This performance advantage was true under prior DPI (Department of Public Instruction) reporting standards and remains so under its new regimen.”
On the college-readiness ACT exam, Badger State Choice students from low and moderate-income families outscored public school students from all income levels.
Only in Arizona, where opportunities offered by ESAs expanded to more than 100 educational providers, have results been less than expected.
Pendergrass concludes her study by looking ahead:
It is still very early days in the shift in K–12 education from one of school assignment to one of school choice. What we can say thus far is that many parents are crafting creative education plans, and suppliers are showing up to serve them. Participation in these programs will grow, both in the states that have them and also in states that will create new ones. As this happens, creative minds will develop new ways and means to educate children. The camps of public school, private school, microschool, online school, or home school are likely to further blur, as more families can have some of each. It appears that the supply side of K–12 education is growing in both size and definition. In doing so, it is meeting the challenge and opportunity created by expanding the practice of universal choice.
