School Choice

The Parent Party believes that school choice is an option all parents should have in order to properly provide for their children’s educations.

The movement promoting school choice is born out of opposition to the broken system of school zoning. In this system, children are assigned to attend schools based solely upon where they live. As parents and citizens, we want to send students to the best schools that we can while encouraging competition among public schools to better their own programming.

We support a policy that allows students and their parents to choose the school that best suits their needs. This means that students should be allowed to attend private institutions or public charter schools, as this might be a better fit to their specific needs than the school that their zip code dictates that they should attend.

The system of school zoning is ineffective for student success for many reasons. Most pressing are the concerns for special education students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. When a child with a disability is zoned into a school district without a strong support system for their special needs, they are not given an equal chance at a quality education like their fellow classmates. However, if a student is allowed to choose to attend a school more equipped for their needs in a different zone, they have a far greater chance of success.

Similarly, a student may be assigned to an underperforming school because their parents cannot afford to live in the zip code confines of a better school district. Because of the economic status of the family, the student is disadvantaged. However, if they are able to choose to attend a high performing school outside of their zip code, they have a greater opportunity for quality education. On top of the increased benefit for the student, when underperforming schools are not guaranteed enrollees based on locality, they are more motivated to improve their programs to entice higher enrollment, and with it receive higher amounts of public funding.

School choice is supported through alternative schooling methods as well as a policy that allows public education funds to “follow the student.” A few of the most prominent ways to increase school choice in the American education system are through voucher programs, public charter schools, tax credit scholarships, and homeschooling.

“The best public school won’t work for every student. The best private school won’t work for every student. The best public-charter school won’t work for every student. The best virtual school won’t work for every student. It’s about having options.”
Nathan Hoffman, former Policy and Research Director, Empower Illinois

Voucher Programs

Voucher programs put state education funds into the hands of students’ parents by allocating per-capita education funding to a voucher for parents to select the appropriate school placement for their children. School voucher programs, if well designed, can improve student academic performance as well as mental health. The competition over enticing student enrollment created by increased educational options as a result of school voucher programs drives improvement in public school performance as well.

Public Charter Schools

Public charter schools are publicly funded schools administered by independent organizations, usually nonprofits. These schools are often and demonstrate better educational outcomes for their students. As public schools, charter schools do not charge tuition and are open to all students regardless of their backgrounds. Charter schools are more flexible than traditional public schools, however, and borrow successful aspects of private schools in many ways.

Some of the benefits of public charter schools include the ability to operate outside the traditional school calendar, to offer more flexible curricula, and to create themed educational programs. Public charter schools are the most common form of educational freedom available to students.

Tax Credit Scholarships

Scholarship tax credit programs are a growing school choice option that many states are exploring, providing an alternative to school voucher programs. Tax credit programs have many forms, with two of the most common being Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) and tax credit scholarships.

As of October 2021, 21 states have tax credit scholarship programs. These programs allow individuals and corporations to allocate a portion of their owed state taxes to private nonprofit scholarship-granting organizations that issue scholarships to K-12 students. The scholarship allows a student to choose among a list of private schools, and sometimes public schools outside of their district, approved by the scholarship organization. The scholarship is used to pay tuition, fees, and other related expenses. As a result, the state does not need to appropriate per-pupil education funding for those students that receive scholarships.

Homeschooling

Usually taught by a parent, tutor, or an online teacher, many families are now using a less formal, more personalized, and individualized method of learning called homeschooling. There are numerous benefits to homeschooling, yet individual reasons for choosing this educational option differs from parent to parent. Some families use it in order to maximize family time, others do it to focus more on their children’s individual interests, while enjoying added flexibility in their teaching style. The core idea of homeschooling is the concept that kids need to learn at the speed, and in the style, most appropriate for them.
Homeschooled kids have the same access to online learning, friendships, and extracurricular activities as the typical public or private school student. However, allowing parents to choose what is best for their child not only allows the child to succeed, but also fosters important relationships within the family. It has been shown that parents who homeschool their children have a better understanding of their child’s life, whether that be related to education or not. This can help develop important skills for the student, such as solving problems among friends, patience in the workspace, and much more.