By Eileen Sigmund
Educational freedom is fundamental for Arizona families.
For nearly 25 years, parents have been given the opportunity to select a school that best meets their child’s needs. No longer do you have to be able to afford a pricey home to attend a great school.
Now we know a little more about the magnitude of those choices: Nearly one out of every two students in Maricopa County participate in school choice through open enrollment or charter schools.
The findings come from the work of the Center for Student Achievement and a Yale researcher. This new analysis finds that nearly 50 percent of all students in nine Maricopa County district attendance zones do not attend their assigned district school.
This analysis points to the extent to which school choice has become engrained in the state’s education landscape – even among families that select a district school option. Simply put, Arizona parents like having the power to decide what school is best for their child.
Rather than bowing to special interests that seek to roll back or limit access to educational choice, Arizona policymakers should support policies that create more quality public school options.
This letter was originally published in the Association’s monthly ‘Arizona Charter News’ newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
