Every year at the end of January, families, teachers, schools, and public officials celebrate National School Choice Week, which highlights the options school choice provides to Americans across the country.
This school year, more three million students attend public charter schools in more than 40 states. Upwards of 300,000 more utilize private school choice programs that allow taxpayer dollars or private donations to follow a child to the educational option his or her parents think is best. And nearly two million children are homeschooled, where their families can completely customize their educations.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of American students are still forced to attend the schools they’re zoned to by ZIP code, even if those schools are a poor fit for their educational needs, or for their family’s values. While nearly 90 percent of students attend some form of public school, only one third of parents say they would make that choice if finances were not an issue. Even among public school teachers, fewer than half the parents polled would send their own kids to public school, given other options.
Given the obvious demand for freedom, flexibility, and options, school choice has a long way to go.
IWF has created these videos to showcase a few of the voices of millions of families utilizing charter schools, private school choice programs, online learning, homeschooling and more.