Will this be another “year of school choice,” or will statehouses go quiet in an election year? This week, choice supporters made gains in a few legislatures, but saw setbacks in others.
Arizona: The state Senate approved a measure that would make eligibility for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts nearly universal.
Idaho: Charter schools could soon gain greater autonomy over teacher contracts.
Mississippi: A bill to broaden eligibility for education savings accounts died. “Good legislation sometimes takes 10 years to pass,” one key lawmaker said.
Ohio: Lawmakers considered delaying new accountability ratings for charter school authorizers. The Columbus Dispatch pushed back on the pushback against charter reforms.
South Dakota: A bill creating tax credit scholarships advanced.
Virginia: Two charter school bills were defeated.
Washington: State lawmakers looked for ways to keep the state’s charter schools alive, but a legislative fix did not get out of a House committee, clouding the future.
Meanwhile…
A new set of studies brought bad news for Louisiana’s voucher program. Student achievement results, while better than in year one, remained poor in the program’s second year statewide. There is reason to believe those results will keep improving, and achievement gaps shrinking, over time. Researchers found vouchers brought other benefits, like aiding racial desegregation.
The arrival of charter schools changed the teaching force in New Orleans. Howard Fuller talks about the impact on black families.
Online charter schools come under renewed scrutiny.
Double talk on school choice and “broader, bolder.”
“Charter schools didn’t destroy public education,” The Oklahoman’s editorial board writes. “Neither would ESAs.”
Honoring Vermont’s 145-year tradition of school choice.
Big changes could be coming for a prominent education reform organization.
Could Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death create a setback for school choice supporters’ Blaine Amendment challenges?
The rise of black homeschoolers.
Desegregation rules could force a black child out of a charter school.
A different look at Florida’s debate over a statewide charter school authorizer.
Innovative Denver public schools take advantage of greater state flexibility.
A new study looks at how parents spend their ESAs.
Quote of the Week
The kids living in urban environments deserve the same quality education that other people get … What has happened is that making alternative investments — if that’s a term you can live with — has changed outcomes.
— Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, defending his state’s investment in charter schools.
Tweet of the Week
A colleague just observed: WA could be 1st state in union to close down a bunch of high-performing schools. @WA_Charters
— Robin Lake (@RbnLake) February 25, 2016
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This week in school choice is our weekly roundup of school choice news and notes from around the country. It appears on this blog early Monday morning, but you can subscribe to get it on Sundays here.
