Giving parents the power to choose the best school for their child.
All Children Matter is a political organization that supports giving parents, especially low-income
parents, more educational options for their kids. Different types of parental choice are:
Public Charter Schools: Charter schools are tuition-free, public schools that are managed outside of the usual school district bureaucracy. They generally have less administration and more flexibility with curriculum and instruction. Forty states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have charter school laws, and these programs educate nearly 1.1 million students nationwide.The best laws provide charter schools with academic autonomy, strong accountability to parents, and fair and equal funding.
Public School Choice: These programs give parents more ability to choose which public schooltheir child may attend. There are currently 14 states that offer expanded public school choice.
K-12 Scholarships: State-funded scholarship programs empower parents to send their children to the public, private or religious school of their choice. There are eligibility requirements for most existing programs, including limiting participation to primarily at-risk students, children from low-income families, children with disabilities (physical and learning), or those assigned to a poorly performing school. Scholarships can be implemented as vouchers, or funded through corporate and/or individual donations that qualify for tax credits. Arizona, Florida, Ohio,Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have widespread scholarship programs.
Education Tax Credits: Tax credits are given to families to offset a portion of their education
expenses, usually including private school tuition. Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota have such programs. |
