In recent years, parents have benefited from a significant expansion of educational options for their children. Parents have many more opportunities than just a few years ago to choose from an array of public school options, including charter, virtual, and magnet schools. Expanding educational options for parents is one of the hallmarks of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), and it remains one of the President Bush's highest priorities.

Parents also have access to an increasing number of state programs that provide financial support for their children to attend private schools. As of August 2007, there were 24 programs in 13 states and the District of Columbia that provide financial assistance in the form of voucher or voucher-like tuition assistance, tax credits, and tax deductions, compared with seven programs in seven states a decade ago.

This new report, Education Options in the States: State Programs that Provide Financial Assistance for Attendance at Private Elementary or Secondary Schools, provides information on these programs. We trust it will be a useful reference for parents, educators, researchers, public officials, and others.

Morgan Brown
Assistant Deputy Secretary
Office of Innovation and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education