School Choice
As families demand more learning options, Florida schools expand to meet the need
TAMPA, Fla. — Amelia Ramos recalls her oldest child’s first school experience after moving to the Grant Park neighborhood in 2018. “It was not a good fit,” she said. “She lasted about four months.” In addition to academics, Ramos cited safety as a big concern. “You couldn’t even ride... READ MOREPEP students flock to Sarasota’s Fab Lab, where STEAM learning is fueled by their imagination
SARASOTA, Fla. – Duct taped to the wall of Eliah Hillebrand’s bedroom, next to the light switch, is the engine from one of his remote-controlled cars. Attached to that is...
READ MOREHappy 96th birthday to John E. Coons, education choice visionary
John E. Coons was ahead of his time. Decades before the term “education savings account” became an integral part of the education choice movement, the law professor at the University...
READ MOREFlorida’s education evolution now has more than 50% of students in school choice options
For the first time in Florida’s history, more than half of all K-12 students are enrolled in an educational option of choice. During the 2023–24 school year, 1,794,697 students, out...
READ MORETeachers give anti-ESA propaganda a failing grade
Opponents of education freedom, facing a series of legislative defeats, have responded by going off the deep end with conspiracy theories and crackpot fables. The formula works something like this:...
READ MOREArizona districts should lower the velvet rope for students with disabilities
Tim DeRoche featured the tale of an Arizona boy named Brayden in a Time Magazine piece on the shortcomings of open enrollment practice and law for students with disabilities: “In...
READ MOREThe sky is the limit: How an ed choice scholarship turned Aaliyah into a straight-A student
DeLAND, Fla.– A black sweater, white shirt, and a red tie lay on Aaliyah Tape’s bed when she returned home from a summer vacation spent with family. She knew what...
READ MOREUpsides and downsides of a SCOTUS victory for nation’s first religious charter school
The story: With less than a week to go before the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments about the constitutionality of religious charter schools, supporters and opponents are making wildly different...
READ MOREThe inevitable is always certain but not always punctual: self-driving school carpools
Back in 2017, techno-optimist Jason Bedrick made the skeptical Robert Pondiscio a bet on the adoption rate for self-driving cars in the Phoenix area: “Robert and I are putting our...
READ MORETexas choice triumph calls for celebration and a shift for the movement
Texas school choice opponents are strong. I recall going to look up the number of lobbyists on retainer by groups opposed to choice during the 2013 legislative session, and the...
READ MORETaking advantage of her opportunities, Zori reaches Step 1 of her life plan – an Ivy League scholarship
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Zori Brown was in the sixth grade when she made a plan for her future that was concise and to the point: Attend an Ivy League...
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