"Education Without Limits: Exploring the Benefits of School Choice"

House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

2025-03-11

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This meeting of the subcommittee on early childhood, elementary and secondary education focused on the topic of school choice and its implications for American education, featuring opening statements and questioning of four distinguished witnesses[ 00:26:50-00:28:56 ]

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. The discussion covered a range of perspectives, from strong advocacy for expanding educational options to serious concerns about the impact on public schools and equity[ 00:20:11-00:20:55 ]

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[ 00:25:35-00:25:39 ]

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Themes

Academic Outcomes and Success of School Choice

Proponents of school choice, including Dr. Michael McShane and Mrs. Jenny Clark, highlighted research suggesting positive academic outcomes for students in choice programs and competitive benefits for traditional public schools[ 00:44:04 ]

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. Dr. McShane cited studies showing that charter school students gained additional learning days in math and reading compared to their peers in district schools, particularly for underserved communities[ 00:24:12-00:24:25 ]

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. Mrs. Clark shared her family's positive experience with Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, which provided specialized resources for her children with dyslexia and has seen rapid growth since becoming universal. Mr. Walter Blanks Jr. offered personal testimony, explaining how a school choice scholarship transformed his academic trajectory after struggling in a failing public school. Conversely, Ms. Jessica Levin contended that studies in states like Louisiana, Indiana, and Ohio reveal a detrimental academic impact on students using vouchers, with effects comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic on test scores. She argued that focusing solely on test scores ignores broader societal issues impacting student performance, such as mental health crises and social isolation.

Impact on Public Schools

A central point of contention was the effect of school choice programs on traditional public schools[ 00:43:08-00:43:20 ]

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. Dr. McShane presented research indicating that public schools often perform better when faced with competition from school choice options, suggesting a "rising tide lifts all boats" effect. Mrs. Clark stated that in Arizona, not a single public school has closed despite over 12 years of the ESA program, refuting claims that school choice defunds public education[ 02:09:16-02:09:19 ]

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. However, Ms. Levin asserted that voucher programs divert much-needed funding and resources from public schools, exacerbating underfunding and leading to difficult cuts, especially in rural areas where private options are scarce. She noted that public schools end up with higher concentrations of high-needs students with fewer resources when students return from private schools without their allocated funds.

Equity, Access, and Discrimination

Concerns were raised about whether school choice mechanisms promote equity or discrimination. Ms. Levin argued that vouchers disproportionately benefit affluent families already sending children to private schools, rather than low-income families. She emphasized that private schools often permit discrimination based on disability, religion, and other factors, and that students with disabilities lose significant legal rights under IDEA when using vouchers. Mrs. Clark countered that Arizona's ESA program benefits students with disabilities, with a higher percentage of disabled students participating than in the public system, and stated that not all rights are lost through school choice programs[ 00:45:15-00:45:42 ]

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. The debate also touched on school segregation, with Ms. Levin connecting the modern rise of vouchers to segregationist efforts following Brown v. Board of Education and citing research on increased segregative effects.

Accountability and Oversight

The lack of accountability and transparency in private school voucher programs was a significant concern for opponents. Ms. Levin noted that voucher laws are "devoid of meaningful quality or accountability standards," allowing private schools to operate without the same oversight as public institutions. She described how private schools can charge more than the voucher amount, lack oversight on admission and discipline policies, and are often not subject to federal civil rights laws like Title VI or anti-bullying statutes[ 01:54:37-01:54:42 ]

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. Instances of fraud, waste, and closure of unaccredited private schools receiving public funds were cited as evidence of the risks involved[ 01:20:24-01:20:49 ]

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[ 01:21:02-01:21:05 ]

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Parental Rights and Empowerment

Proponents emphasized that school choice empowers parents to select the best educational environment for their children, regardless of income or zip code[ 00:22:57-00:23:19 ]

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. Mr. Blanks's personal story exemplified this, as his mother removed him from a failing school when offered no immediate solutions. Mrs. Clark underscored the importance of flexible ESA programs and removing bureaucratic barriers, such as prior public school attendance requirements or dependence on public school evaluations for special needs students. The argument was made that parents, not the government, are best positioned to decide their children's educational path, and that school choice allows for diverse educational models that cater to individual student needs and family values[ 00:44:09-00:44:11 ]

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Tone of the Meeting

The meeting had a highly polarized and contentious tone, characterized by strong, often passionate, arguments from both sides of the issue. While some members called for a calmer and more student-centric discussion, the exchanges frequently devolved into direct criticisms and personal challenges[ 01:52:08-01:52:15 ]

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. Proponents of school choice expressed frustration with what they perceived as resistance to change and "demonization" of alternative education models. Opponents, in turn, voiced deep concern about the "dismantling" of public education and the "misuse" of taxpayer dollars, accusing the other side of an agenda driven by privatization rather than genuine educational improvement. The overall atmosphere reflected a significant ideological divide, with little common ground found despite calls for collaboration.

Participants

Transcript

Thank you.
M
Ms. Jessica Levin
Thank you.  Thank you, sir.  Sorry about that.
The subcommittee on early childhood, elementary and secondary education will come to order.  I note that a quorum is present.  Without objection, the chair is authorized to call recess at any time.   Education outcomes in the United States continue to plummet.  The recently released nation's report card paints an alarming picture.  Math and reading scores continue to decline despite a steady increase in overall spending.  As a result, millions of young people are being deprived of the skills needed for success in college, careers, and life.   This is also a long-term risk to our nation's prosperity and security.  We are at risk of losing our edge to countries that are doing a better job educating the next generation.  Yet amidst this troubling landscape, there are positive outliers.  Across the nation, there are many outstanding schools of all kinds with dedicated teachers and administrators that are defying the odds and getting tremendous results for their students.   In particular, states and communities that have embraced school choice in all of its forms are defying the national trend.  These success stories provide a starting point for the education reform that America needs.  Indeed, America's education landscape is increasingly a tale of two models.  On one hand, some states have used every lever of policy to limit the options available to families.   These jurisdictions share certain perverse features.  Students are assigned to a neighborhood school with few, if any, alternatives.  Instruction is driven by top-down bureaucratic requirements with little regard for learning outcomes.  Educators are given lifetime job security at denied meaningful professional development.   The same things are done year after year, impervious to changes in the world, technology, or the science of learning, with parents kept at arm's length through it all.
This is the model behind American educational decline.  It is the model that the Biden administration did everything possible to reinforce.  Fortunately, a second model has gained significant traction in recent years.   and it flips every aspect of this failed model on its head.  Parents select a school that is right for their child.  Educators receive the support they need and are expected to perform.  Schools that fail to get results, lose students and eventually may cease to exist.  Those that succeed attract more students and continue to innovate and grow with parents in the driver's seat through and through.   This is the school choice model, which President Trump's first education executive orders aim to reinforce.  There are now 81 private school choice programs across 33 states, serving 1.2 million students, which is about double the number of students served just three years ago.  The percentage of school-age students homeschooling has roughly doubled since 2019.   There are also a variety of school choice programs within traditional public school systems, such as those that allow open enrollment within a district or transfers across districts or offer choices like magnet schools or career education focused schools.   But the form of school choice that I believe shows perhaps the greatest promise in elevating student achievement and closing achievement gaps at scale is charter schools.  Since 2005, the number of charter schools has doubled and charter enrollment has tripled to over 3.7 million students.  Unlike traditional public schools to which students get assigned based on their neighborhood, charters are schools of choice that families elect to attend.   Such schools are publicly funded, but they only receive that funding if they attract families to opt in, and they're held accountable for student learning outcomes.  In exchange, charters are generally freed from top-down bureaucratic requirements and can operate with greater flexibility and autonomy, allowing them to innovate in line with their own educational vision.
This model has proven enormously successful.  A 2023 Stanford Credo study found that charter students gained an additional six days of learning in math and six teen days in reading per year compared to their district school peers.  These gains are especially significant for historically underserved communities.   Take two powerful examples.  The Success Academy Charter Network has over 50 schools in New York City serving mostly low-income minority students.  Success Academy has ranked number one in the entire state of New York in math scores.   And the KIPP Charter Network, which stands for Knowledge is Power Program, has over 240 schools nationwide focused on underserved communities.  A 2023 Mathematica study found KIPP students were twice as likely to complete college as their peers.   The opposition to charters by the Biden administration and political leaders in states like California is also revealing.

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