This report summarizes the fiscal effects of education choice programs across the United States from an analysis of 48 private education choice programs in 25 states plus D.C. The programs in the analysis include five education savings account programs, 22 school voucher programs, and 21 tax credit scholarship programs. This study estimates the…

School choice critics argue that choice programs drain resources from public schools and therefore harm students who remain in them. Because policymakers are tasked with balancing their states' budgets and ensuring that their public schools meet educational provisions in their states' constitutions, they are concerned with the fiscal effects of…

This report provides a framework for understanding the impacts of state government statutes regulating private schools, regulations distinct to a given school choice program, and any regulatory growth over a program's lifespan. Examining school choice programs in operation for at least a few years provides important context and comparisons for…

This study explored the factors that influenced parental decisions to exit a public school and enroll their children in a private school. It also explored why parents chose the specific private school their child attends and the level of satisfaction they have with their private school choice. The key reasons for leaving public education were: (a)…

The National Association of State Directors of Special Education has published documents on home schooling and various aspects of the charter school movement, but not on other types of school choice such as vouchers. This Project Forum document focuses on voucher programs that are specifically designed to provide public funds for parental…

Opponents of school choice argue that private schools are not "accountable" because they are not subject to detailed oversight by a regulatory bureaucracy. They claim private school employees can be expected to engage in abusive and criminal behavior more frequently. School choice supporters respond that parents hold private schools…

This study examines Utah's funding system for public education and provides an analysis of the fiscal impact of allowing parents to use a portion of their child's state education funding to attend a school of their choice, public or private. Like many states, Utah is facing pressure to improve its system of public education funding. The state's…

Recently, legislators have become interested in school privatization as a tool to increase educational choices, introducing more than 400 bills related to privatization during the 1998 session. The education privatization movement is a compilation of many different efforts to expand the role of private schools in education. The efforts include…

An analysis of the development of diverse educational programs based on a common curriculum core is the purpose of this paper. After an overview of the major kinds of option/choice programs, a study of educational options in Utah and the United States is described. Three research methodologies were used to collect data: a statewide survey on…

Results of a longitudinal ethnographic study of Utah home schools reveals that past school experiences figure largely in present home school rationales and practices. Public school administrators need to acknowledge the effects of the past experiences of home schoolers, dispel their fears, and treat them as partners in the education process. (BJV)