State Support for School Choice Options

Reform Efforts

Four common state reform efforts focus on expanding families' choices among schools:

• Public school choice. Many states have adopted policies which allow students and their families to select from more than one public school. These policies vary across states; some permit school choice across school districts and others only within the student's home district, and some require districts to participate in school choice programs while others allow districts to choose.



• Charter schools. Many states have adopted legislation enabling parents, teachers, community members and, in some instances, private corporations to create and operate public charter schools which operate with varying degrees of independence from local school districts and state education agencies, in exchange for increased accountability for student performance. These schools are chartered for a limited time, typically 3 to 5 years, and may be closed if the goals specified in their charter are not met. Charter school legislation varies widely among the states; which public agencies may grant charters, renewal policies, conversion policies to allow existing public or private schools to become charter schools, and limits on the number of charter schools allowed all differ from state to state. Since the authorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, many states require charter schools to adhere to similar standards and accountability measures required of public schools. States may require charter schools to report information, including finances, test scores, and teaching methods, and may also require teachers to be certificated and students to be assessed according to the statewide testing plan.



• Public support for private education. Several states currently permit the limited use of public funds to support private education in the form of transportation, textbooks, and various auxiliary services. Less common are programs that use public funds to cover part or all of private school tuition; most of these programs involve either a tax credit or a voucher that parents or guardians use to offset the cost of sending their child to a private school.



• Home schooling. Parents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have the option to home school their children. Laws and regulations affecting home schooling vary considerably across states in the areas of parents' educational requirements and requirements for testing and evaluating home-schooled children.