Arizona’s families have been empowered to choose the education that meets their child’s unique learning styles, and there is reason to believe that educational freedom has been largely responsible for making Arizona the only state to show significant progress in 4th and 8th grade math, science and reading between 2009 and 2015. Five of the seven best schools in the country are located in Arizona. Furthermore, a set of empirical studies suggest that educational freedom leads to academic gains in traditional district school systems.
Arizona families have many options when it comes to their children’s education. They can choose to send their child to the local public school, but they can also apply to any public school as long as there’s space available. In addition, students can take classes online that might not be available in the school they attend.
Families can also choose one of the state’s 556 charter schools that are serving nearly 200,000 students. Arizona’s charter schools primarily serve Latinos and other minority students who may not have been getting the education that met their needs at their local public school. The charters are some of the best in the country, and their students are making some of the biggest gains in the country in math and reading.
This year, almost all Arizona students will be eligible for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. The program allows students to attend schools they wouldn’t have been able to afford. Families can take 90 percent of the funding for their child and use it to pay for tuition, curriculum, tutoring and other educational expenses.
The program was already helping low-income, special needs and other children succeed. Now all students can take advantage of this opportunity.
Arizona is the perfect example of why everyone wins when families are free to choose the education that’s best for their kids. Education is the key to a brighter future for the next generation. Thanks to the state’s education freedom programs, more students are succeeding.