Conservative group ranks Florida best, Massachusetts worst for school choice
The Washington Times | By Sean Salai | September 28, 2023
A network of conservative private investors and state legislators has ranked Florida as the best state, and Massachusetts as the worst, for school choice.
The American Legislative Exchange Council gave Florida’s K-12 education policies an “A” grade for offering flexible regulations, tax credits and scholarships to parents seeking alternatives to public schooling.
ALEC officials said they created the report after several states passed sweeping school choice policies this year, building on a surge of discontent with public education during COVID-19 lockdowns. It is the first time the group, which also grades states’ economies, has ranked school choice policies.
“Parents across the country have made their voices clear: the status quo in American education isn’t working, and they are demanding access to more educational options for their students,” ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson said.
Ms. Nelson noted that states offering “public school, virtual school, charter school, home school, or some other educational environment” options led the rankings.
Florida topped a range of five indicators: funding and financing programs, charter schools, homeschooling, virtual schooling and open enrollment.
In that state, Gov. Ron DeSantis has waged a highly publicized war against “woke” education in public schools as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination.
Arkansas, Indiana, Arizona and Iowa rounded out the top five states.
Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Utah, South Carolina and Oklahoma passed laws this year opening up access and taxpayer funds — including vouchers — to nearly all students seeking alternatives to public schooling. The ALEC list ranked Oklahoma No. 7, Utah No. 9 and South Carolina No. 26 for school choice.
Report author Andrew Handel, an education and workforce development analyst at ALEC, praised these states for “recognizing that each student has his or her own unique needs, background, and learning style.”
Rhode Island, New York, Vermont and North Dakota filled out the list of the five worst states for school choice behind Massachusetts.
According to ALEC, these states make it harder for families to keep their children at home or transfer them out of undesirable schools.
For example, the report noted an unfriendly regulatory environment, a lack of options for virtual schooling and few open enrollment options for students seeking alternatives in Massachusetts.
