Education Next – Matthew M. Chingos
“Every American family chooses where their child will attend school, whether they know it or not. Some, however, have more choice than others. Affluent families can choose to move to a neighborhood tied to a good school or pay private school tuition. But less affluent families’ choices are too often limited to the schools in the high-poverty neighborhoods where they can afford to live. School choice policies aim to break the link between where children live and where they go to school. They seek to interrupt the cycle of poverty by providing low-income children with access to high-quality educational options that will boost their chances of long-term success. Choice programs come in several flavors, including charter schools, which are publicly funded but independently operated; private school vouchers, which cover all or part of private school tuition; and open enrollment plans (sometimes called public school vouchers) that allow parents to send their child to any public school in the district. When done right, school choice programs can be powerful tools in the fight against poverty.”(more)